Oklahoma’s oil and gas industry and fossil fuel electricity generating power plants face new EPA requirements in two years.
The State Department of Environmental Quality announced it will hold a public meeting in December to discuss the development of how Oklahoma will address emissions from the existing crude oil and natural gas facilities and existing fossil fuel power plants.
The Air Quality Division (AQD) of the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is hosting a public information session on December 3, 2024, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm at the DEQ headquarters, 707 N Robinson, Oklahoma City. This meeting will kick off a 60-day information gathering period. In addition to the in-person session, members of the public may participate via Zoom. If you wish to attend via Zoom, please register at this link.
The purpose of the public information session is to outline the upcoming work that the AQD will undertake to develop state plans to incorporate federal requirements issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 40 C.F.R. Part 60, Subparts OOOOc and UUUUb. These federal requirements cover two industries:
- the oil and natural gas sector
- the electric utility sector (fossil-fuel fired power plants)
AQD will request public feedback on program elements that will eventually be incorporated into state rules and, later, into state plans submitted to EPA. These submittals are referred to as state 111(d) plans, referencing the section (111) and paragraph (d) of the federal Clean Air Act which establishes these requirements.
Members of the public (including industry stakeholders, government entities, Tribal Partners, civic organizations, and the public at large) are encouraged to participate at every step of the process, beginning with the development of the broad programmatic outline through the promulgation of state rules and, eventually, the development and submission of the state 111(d) plans.
The December 3rd information session will provide additional details regarding the input requested and the opportunities for public participation. At the conclusion of the 60-day information gathering period, DEQ will draft policies for eventual rule development and will hold another public information meeting to share the broad outlines of our program. Additional meetings will be held throughout the process that will culminate in the submission of the 111(d) plans to EPA.
Source: DEQ release