Drillers Say Costs Manageable From Pending Gas Emissions Rule
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An Obama administration plan to cut air pollution from natural-gas wells that was delayed after a flurry of last-minute comments won’t slow the gas boom sweeping the U.S., some drillers and industry analysts said.
Southwestern Energy Co. and Devon Energy Corp. say they already use systems to capture methane and other fumes at wells, the key requirement of a rule that may be issued as early as today. Drilling hasn’t slowed in Colorado or Wyoming where technology to capture emissions has been required by the state since 2009 and 2010, Christine Tezak, senior policy analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co. in McLean, Virginia, wrote in a March 16 research note.