Stricter Regulations on Oil and Natural Gas Production Save Money and Resources

New rules set by the U.S. EPA are expected to reduce by 95 percent the emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds from the more than 11,000 new hydraulically fractured gas wells installed each year. The regulations will also reduce harmful air pollution from other sources in the oil and natural gas industry that are not currently regulated at the federal level. When the rules are fully implemented in 2015, the EPA estimates a cost savings of $11 million to $19 million from sales of additional natural gas that are currently lost by inefficient production processes that release gas to the atmosphere.