The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[OakesCS]

how wonderfully ludicrous

The proposal, incorporating four air regulations, would cut emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds by about one-fourth, with an almost 95 percent reduction in such discharges from new and updated gas wells using fracturing, or fracking,

on the positive side: big percentage changes from zero are easily achieved.

Fracking, a technique that injects chemicals and water into rock formations

nice to know that our news writers and the EPA have separated water from the realm of chemicals.

...has been tied to a rise in smog pollution in rural areas such as western Wyoming

pathetic. They are alluding to a well documented case of unusual weather circumstance and a single sampling event (no sampling over different seasons).

The proposed EPA rules will cut emissions linked to increased cancer risks, asthma attacks and premature death

only the facts ma'am. where are they?

Pollution would by reduced by capturing gas that escapes during extraction, and making that gas available for sale, the agency said. The technology for the process is used by some companies and required in some states, according to the EPA.

i sense a tinge of well deserved skepticism by the writer. at least that's a start at decent reporting.

The proposed rules would be “extremely cost-effective,” according to the EPA. The combined annual costs to comply would be $754 million in 2015, and the estimated value of the gas made available for sale is $783 million, the agency said.

uh uh. $30M differential. anybody want to guess what the error bars are on those 2 numbers? I'd bet body parts that they're a lot more than 5%. Yet somehow "extremely cost-effective" is the conclusion.

Oil and gas production and processing account for almost 40 percent of all U.S. methane emissions, according to the agency

from wikipedia's methane entry: "Rice fields also generate large amounts of methane during plant growth. ... Cattle belch methane accounts for 16% of the world's annual methane emissions to the atmosphere."

maybe the EPA should put a stop to Budweiser, Rice Crispies, and hamburgers.

sued the EPA in a bid to force an update of standards that haven’t been revised since 1985.

isn't a standard supposed to be standard? maybe they should get to work on suing somebody over the meter and kilogram. Why the inference that a regulation is bad just 'cause it was put in place 26 yrs ago?

“Drilling for oil and gas shouldn’t come at the expense of clean air.”

uh, uh. this from a guy in NM where a good chunk of the state's "GDP" and tax revenues are drawn from oil, gas and coal production. Maybe he should take a trip over to the Grand Canyon where he can experience the smog caused by burning NM coal in Nevada and Utah power plants which export their electrical power to California so Los Angelinos can breathe better. ahh, hypocrites. gotta love'em.