[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 137 (Monday, July 18, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46670-46672]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16927]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-0346; FRL-9949-14-OAR]
RIN 2060-AS30


Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Request for Information, Emerging 
Technologies

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice; request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing this 
request for information to the public to obtain information about 
monitoring, detection of fugitive emissions, and alternative mitigation 
approaches in the oil and natural gas sector.

DATES: Responses must be received on or before November 15, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit your information, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2016-0346, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
responses. Once submitted, responses cannot be edited or withdrawn. The 
EPA may publish any response received to its public docket. Do not 
submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Additional information on submission of CBI can 
be found below in this document. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, 
etc.) must be accompanied by a written response. The written response 
is considered the official response and should include discussion of 
all points you wish to make. The EPA will generally not consider 
information or content located outside of the primary submission (i.e., 
on the Web, cloud, or other file sharing system). For additional 
submission methods, the full EPA public comment policy, information 
about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general guidance on making 
effective comments, please visit http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epa-dockets.
    Docket. All documents in the docket are listed in the http://www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., CBI or other information 
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such 
as copyrighted material, will be publicly available only in hard copy. 
Publicly available docket materials are available either electronically 
at http://www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, EPA WJC West Building, Room 3334, 
1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The Public Reading Room is 
open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding 
legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public Reading Room is 
(202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Air Docket is (202) 
566-1742.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about this 
action, contact Mr. Matthew Witosky, Sector Policies and Programs 
Division (E143-

[[Page 46671]]

05), Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, 
telephone number: (919) 541-2865; facsimile number: (919) 541-3740; 
email address: [email protected]. For further information on the 
EPA's oil and natural gas sector regulatory program, contact Mr. Bruce 
Moore, Sector Policies and Programs Division (E143-05), Office of Air 
Quality Planning and Standards, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, telephone number: (919) 
541-5460; facsimile number: (919) 541-3470; email address: 
[email protected]. For additional contact information, see the 
following SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Who may be interested in this request?

    This request may be of interest to the categories and entities 
listed in Table 1:

  Table 1--Industrial Source Categories Potentially Interested in This
                                 Action
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                                                  Examples of industrial
            Category             NAICS code \1\          entities
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Industry.......................          211111  Crude Petroleum and
                                                  Natural Gas
                                                  Extraction.
                                         211112  Natural Gas Liquid
                                                  Extraction.
                                         221210  Natural Gas
                                                  Distribution.
                                         486110  Pipeline Distribution
                                                  of Crude Oil.
                                         486210  Pipeline Transportation
                                                  of Natural Gas.
Federal government.............  ..............  Not affected.
State/local/tribal government..  ..............  Potentially interested.
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\1\ North American Industry Classification System.

    This table is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather is meant to 
provide a guide for readers regarding entities that may desire to 
submit information responsive to this request. If you have any 
questions, consult either the air permitting authority for the entity, 
your EPA Regional representative as listed in 40 CFR 60.4 (General 
Provisions), or the individuals listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT section of this document.

B. What should I consider as I prepare my information and responses to 
the EPA?

    Do not submit information containing CBI to the EPA through http://www.regulations.gov or email. Send or deliver information identified as 
CBI only to the following address: OAQPS Document Control Officer 
(C404-02), Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 
27711, Attention: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2016-0346. Clearly mark the 
part or all of the information that you claim to be CBI. For CBI in a 
disk or CD-ROM that you mail to the EPA, mark the outside of the disk 
or CD-ROM as CBI and then identify electronically within the disk or 
CD-ROM the specific information that is claimed as CBI. In addition to 
one complete version of the information that includes information 
claimed as CBI, a copy of the information that does not contain the 
information claimed as CBI must be submitted for inclusion in the 
public docket. Information so marked will not be disclosed except in 
accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part 2. Send or deliver 
information identified as CBI only to the following address: OAQPS 
Document Control Officer (C404-02), U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711, Attention Docket 
ID No. EPA-HQ-2016-0346.

II. Background

    On June 3, 2016, the EPA published a final rule titled ``Oil and 
Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Reconstructed, and 
Modified Sources,'' 81 FR 35824 (June 3, 2016). These new source 
performance standards (NSPS), at 40 CFR part 60, subpart OOOOa, set 
standards for both greenhouse gases (GHGs) and volatile organic 
compounds (VOC).
    While a great deal of information is available on the oil and 
natural gas industry and has to date provided a strong technical 
foundation to support the Agency's recent actions, the EPA is seeking 
additional information now of a broader perspective. This additional 
information may be key in addressing emissions from existing oil and 
natural gas sources under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act (CAA). 
The EPA has taken the first step toward obtaining such information, 
issuing the first draft of an Information Collection Request (ICR) 
requiring owners/operators to provide information that may enable the 
development of effective standards for this industry under CAA section 
111(d). The EPA published the first draft of the ICR June 3, 2016, for 
public comment (81 FR 35763).
    Recognizing that technology used to detect, measure, and mitigate 
emissions is rapidly developing, the EPA is issuing this request for 
information, inviting all parties to provide information on innovative 
technologies to accurately detect, measure, and mitigate emissions from 
the oil and natural gas industry.
    For example, the EPA is aware of efforts to foster development and 
use of advanced monitoring and leak detection equipment, generally 
similar to optical gas imaging required in the 2016 NSPS. The Agency is 
requesting information related to these efforts. The EPA seeks to take 
advantage of the new knowledge being generated by research and focused 
activities such as the Department of Energy's Advanced Research 
Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and other similar programs that are 
developing innovative monitoring, detection, and mitigation 
technologies. While final results are not yet available from some 
projects, such as those funded under ARPA-E, the EPA is interested in 
learning about works-in-progress that may lead to advanced monitoring 
techniques, devices or systems appropriate for the dynamic and complex 
oil and natural gas sector.
    The EPA also is seeking information on how these advanced 
monitoring technologies would be broadly applicable to existing 
sources. For example, research may be developing monitoring systems 
that provide coverage across emission points or equipment in a way that 
was not previously possible, thus enabling a different approach to 
setting standards.
    The EPA is also seeking information to advance mitigation 
opportunities. The EPA is particularly interested in information on 
technologies that could allow for effective emissions controls at well 
sites or other co-located facilities.
    Parties may respond to this request for information with published 
or unpublished papers, technical information, data, or any other

[[Page 46672]]

information they consider responsive to this request.
    In addition to consideration of the information we hope to receive 
in response to this request, the EPA intends to provide an opportunity 
to further engage with stakeholders on these subjects. An event, such 
as the Natural Gas STAR Annual Implementation Workshop, tentatively 
scheduled for early 2017, may be a valuable forum for this exchange of 
information. Specific information regarding an event will be made 
available in the coming months.
    The EPA is providing a 120-day period for the public to submit the 
requested information. While the EPA will not respond to all 
submissions, we may contact respondents for further information or 
data.

    Dated: July 8, 2016.
Janet G. McCabe,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 2016-16927 Filed 7-15-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P