US gas sector faults pipeline leak proposal

The natural gas sector is urging President Joe Biden's administration to dial back a proposal that federal officials expect would cut by 55pc the volume of methane leaking from natural gas pipelines.

Those regulations, proposed by the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), would require pipeline operators to look for leaks more often, follow explicit criteria for making timely leak repairs and cut down on emissions during "blowdowns" that allow for pipeline maintenance. PHMSA says the rule would achieve the climate equivalent of taking more than 5mn cars off the road.

But pipeline owners and natural gas producers say the proposal vastly exceeds what the US Congress intended in a 2020 law that mandated tougher leak detection rules. The regulations would cost far more than agency estimates of $740mn-900mn/yr, the industry groups say, and would set compliance deadlines that would be impracticable to achieve.

"Extensive changes must be made to PHMSA's proposed rule in order for it to be consistent with Congress' intent," the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America and other major gas industry groups said on 16 August in joint formal comments on the rule.

The industry groups say PHMSA should offer three years, rather than six months, before the regulations would start to take effect. PHMSA should only require the industry to patrol transmission pipelines for leaks six times per year, rather than a proposed 12 times per year, they say. They also want changes in what types of leaks would require repair, based in part on complaints the regulations would require repairs for "minor leaks" that are barely detectable and pose no safety risks.

By Chris Knight