It’s no secret that climate change scientists have laid much of the blame for global warming at the feet of fossil fuels and the oil and gas industry. Now, new EPA rules could impact the oil and gas industry as proposed regulations take aim at reducing methane emissions.

According to a recent Associated Press article by Matthew Daly, “[t]he Environmental Protection Agency said the rule will sharply reduce methane and other harmful air pollutants generated by the oil and gas industry, promote use of cutting-edge methane detection technologies and deliver significant public health benefits in the form of reduced hospital visits, lost school days and even deaths.”

The authors note that “[o]il and gas operations are the largest industrial source of methane, the main component in natural gas and far more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term. It is responsible for about one-third of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.”

While the world’s largest oil and gas companies have already pledged to reduce methane emissions, smaller oil and gas companies should be aware that “[t]he methane rule…targets emissions from existing oil and gas wells nationwide, rather than focusing only on new wells, as previous EPA regulations have done.”

The new methane rule “also regulates smaller wells that will be required to find and plug methane leaks. Such wells currently are subject to an initial inspection but are rarely checked again for leaks.” Why target these smaller wells? “Studies have found that smaller wells produce just 6% of the nation’s oil and gas but account for up to half the methane emissions from well sites.”

What does this mean for a wide variety of oil and gas companies? They will need to invest money, time, and effort “to plug orphaned wells” and “patch leaky pipes.” This shines a light on the need for ongoing maintenance in the oil and gas sector. To get the job done correctly, these companies will also need highly skilled workers with hands-on experience with real equipment.

So how do oil and gas companies improve their focus on technical skills? For new and current employees, the answer is technical training. Oil and gas workers need both fundamental knowledge and hands-on technical skills with real industrial equipment they’ll encounter on the job. Be sure to check out Bayport Technical’s wide variety of hands-on oil and gas training systems to take your oil and gas training to the next level!