The Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment Air Quality Control Commission has approved updates to further reduce methane emissions and other air pollution from the oil and gas sector. The commission updated Air Quality Control Commission Regulation 7, addressing natural gas-driven pneumatic controllers and pumps used in oil and gas pre-production and early production operations.
Oil and gas operators with facilities in areas not meeting federal health standards for ozone pollution must phase out 100% of methane emissions from pneumatic devices by May 2027. Operators in other areas must phase out 100% of their methane emissions by March 2029.
The rulemaking also standardizes requirements for monitoring equipment, data collection, and data reporting during pre- and early-production oil and gas operations. This “consistent approach” is aimed at enhancing transparency, making it easier to track and compare air quality data.
In addition, the rulemaking aligns the definition of disproportionately impacted communities with state statute, and uses the November 2024 disproportionately impacted community map tool to identify relevant facilities for emissions control changes starting in 2026.
