![]() VOCs are a concern because they are SMOG precursors. they are not chemicals additives from fracking fluids (sometimes benzene is added to fracking fluids, but most benzene emissions result from the natural gas itself). These are natural hydrocarbons and components of natural gas, i.e. The concerns that gave rise to these new regulations were emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), benzene, and methane in the initial, uncaptured flow of gas. So why the need for EPA regulations when companies were already making these changes on their own? The percentage of green completions was also, undeniably, trending upward. This way, companies can separate out the natural gas and flow it into the pipeline from the very beginning.īefore these regulations, half of all completions were already using green completion technology, primarily as a way to capture and sell more of the gas. Green completions use special equipment that can filter out the sand before the mixture goes into the conventional equipment. What the EPA and environmentalists don’t like about this process, is that while the well is flowing to the lined-pit, the gas is escaping into the air rather than going into a pipeline. Conventional equipment cannot handle the abrasive sand-because it erodes the metal components-so companies let the mixture flow into a plastic-lined pit until the sand concentration is low enough to use the conventional equipment. Immediately after a well is fracked, the mixture that flows back up to the surface includes water, sand, natural gas, and other hydrocarbons. The new regulations focus on “green completions” (“completions” refers to the whole well-stimulation process, including fracking). At worst, they might cause delays and other unintended consequences. At best, they codify existing industry practices. Surprisingly, the 588 pages of regulations don’t amount to much. H/T to titleproblems for his COST_Green theme and other Reddit developers for tips that helped with how things look and work here.This past Wednesday, the EPA released new regulations on hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”). Petitions, Fundraisers, Meetups, Images, Videos & Audio files should be posted to r/EnviroAction! Send the moderators a message to explain your concern if you have time. Please take a moment to hit the Report link below each submission or comment if you see something that breaks the rules. No Misinformation Blatant disregard for accepted science is not allowed. Videos and images should be embedded in an article providing additional information for context purposes. No Standalone Images, Photos, Meme Gifs, Audio or Videos. No Fundraisers: Submissions from sites like Kickstarter will be removed. You might try /r/EnviroAction, /r/Petitions, or /r/WhiteHousePetitions. No Petitions: All submissions from Petition sites will be removed. "Old News" is generally anything published over a week ago. Old News, Duplicate Submissions, and Multiple Submissions on the same topic/issue will probably be removed. Leave your opinion in the comments, not the title. Your post will be deleted if your reddit title is editorialized. This subreddit is for recent news, information and issues related to the environment. ![]()
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