States, Environmentalists Back ‘Alternative Compliance’ In Methane Rules

State environmental commissioners are joining environmentalists to urge EPA and state governments to bolster the use of “alternative compliance” provisions in their rules limiting methane releases from oil and gas operations, a step they argue could ease industry costs while still delivering equivalent emissions cuts. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and the Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) issued a joint April 4 report that calls for novel compliance flexibilities that go beyond the traditional leak detection and repair (LDAR)...