Federal Oil and Gas Leases: Opportunities Exist to Capture Vented and Flared Natural Gas, Which Would Increase Royalty Payments and Reduce Greenhouse Gases
GAO-11-34
Published: Oct 29, 2010. Publicly Released: Nov 29, 2010.
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Highlights
The Department of the Interior (Interior) leases public lands for oil and natural gas development, which generated about $9 billion in royalties in 2009. Some gas produced on these leases cannot be easily captured and is released (vented) directly to the atmosphere or is burned (flared). This vented and flared gas represents potential lost royalties for Interior and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. GAO was asked to (1) examine available estimates of the vented and flared natural gas on federal leases, (2) estimate the potential to capture additional gas with available technologies and associated potential increases in royalty payments and decreases in greenhouse gas emissions, and (3) assess the federal role in reducing venting and flaring. In addressing these objectives, GAO analyzed data from Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and others and interviewed agency and industry officials.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Interior | To ensure that Interior has a complete picture of venting and flaring on federal leases and takes steps to reduce this lost gas where economic to do so, and to ensure that Interior's data are complete and accurate, the Secretary of the Interior should direct BLM and BOEMRE to take additional steps to ensure that each agency has a complete and accurate picture of vented and flared gas, for both onshore and offshore leases, by (1) BLM developing more complete data on lost gas by taking into consideration additional large onshore sources and ways to estimate them not currently addressed in regulations--sources that EPA's newly proposed greenhouse gas reporting rule addresses--and (2) BOEMRE reconciling differences in reported offshore venting and flaring volumes in Oil and Gas Operations Report (OGOR) and Gulfwide Offshore Activities Data System (GOADS) data systems and making adjustments to ensure the accuracy of these systems. Page | According to Interior officials, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has drafted a proposed rule to reduce wasteful flaring, venting, and leaking of natural gas from oil and gas production on public lands. BLM submitted the draft proposed rule to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review on September 18, 2015. This rule, according to Interior officials, would update the BLM's 30-year-old venting and flaring rules to require common sense and cost effective measures to reduce the waste of gas, recognizing recent technological advances in oil and gas production. According to Interior officials, the rule aims to increase our nation's natural gas supplies,... reduce environmental damage from venting and flaring, and ensure a fair return for federal taxpayers, Tribes, and States. In addition, BOEM officials told us that they had completed a reconciliation of Gulfwide Offshore Activities Data System (GOADS) and Oil and Gas Operations Report (OGOR) data in July 2013 by following up with all 86 companies operating platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and inquiring about the differences between GOADS and OGOR data on venting and flaring.
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| Department of the Interior | To ensure that Interior has a complete picture of venting and flaring on federal leases and takes steps to reduce this lost gas where economic to do so, and to help reduce venting and flaring of gas by addressing limitations in their regulations, the Secretary of the Interior should direct BLM and BOEMRE to revise its guidance to operators to make it clear that technologies should be used where they can economically capture sources of vented and flared gas, including gas from liquid unloading, well completions, pneumatic valves, and glycol dehydrators. BOEMRE should consider extending its requirement that gas be captured where economical to "lease-use" sources of gas. | According to Interior officials, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has drafted a proposed rule to reduce wasteful flaring, venting, and leaking of natural gas from oil and gas production on public lands. BLM submitted the draft proposed rule to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review on September 18, 2015. This rule, according to Interior officials, would update the BLM's 30-year-old venting and flaring rules to require common sense and cost effective measures to reduce the waste of gas, recognizing recent technological advances in oil and gas production. According to Interior officials, the rule aims to increase our nation's natural gas supplies,...
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| Department of the Interior | To ensure that Interior has a complete picture of venting and flaring on federal leases and takes steps to reduce this lost gas where economic to do so, and to help reduce venting and flaring of gas by addressing limitations in their regulations, the Secretary of the Interior should direct BLM and BOEMRE to assess the potential use of venting and flaring reduction technologies to minimize the waste of natural gas in advance of production where applicable, and not solely for purposes of air quality. | According to Interior officials, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has drafted a proposed rule to reduce wasteful flaring, venting, and leaking of natural gas from oil and gas production on public lands. BLM submitted the draft proposed rule to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review on September 18, 2015. This rule, according to Interior officials, would update the BLM's 30-year-old venting and flaring rules to require common sense and cost effective measures to reduce the waste of gas, recognizing recent technological advances in oil and gas production. According to Interior officials, the rule aims to increase our nation's natural gas supplies,...
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| Department of the Interior | To ensure that Interior has a complete picture of venting and flaring on federal leases and takes steps to reduce this lost gas where economic to do so, and to help reduce venting and flaring of gas by addressing limitations in their regulations, the Secretary of the Interior should direct BLM and BOEMRE to consider the expanded use of infrared cameras, where economical, to improve reporting of emission sources and to identify opportunities to minimize lost gas. | Onshore, BLM conducted a study in May 2013 of infrared camera use at two pilot locations, which found limitations in the usefulness of these cameras. Although the study recommended against full implementation of cameras across BLM at that time, BLM officials told us that Onshore Order Number 9 is expected to further address the use of infrared cameras, and BLM is considering a performance-based approach to inspecting leaks. BLM officials set a time frame of fiscal year 2016 to complete this order. Offshore, although there are no formal policies at BSEE on future infrared camera use, BSEE has acquired two additional cameras and is hoping to hire additional staff to expand offshore camera...
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| Department of the Interior | To ensure that Interior has a complete picture of venting and flaring on federal leases and takes steps to reduce this lost gas where economic to do so, and and to help reduce venting and flaring of gas by addressing limitations in their regulations, the Secretary of the Interior should direct BLM and BOEMRE to collect information on the extent that larger operators use venting and flaring reduction technology and periodically review this information to identify potential opportunities for oil and gas operators to reduce their emissions, and BOEMRE should use existing information in its GOADS data system for this same purpose, to the extent possible. | According to Interior officials, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has drafted a proposed rule to reduce wasteful flaring, venting, and leaking of natural gas from oil and gas production on public lands. BLM submitted the draft proposed rule to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for review on September 18, 2015. This rule, according to Interior officials, would update the BLM's 30-year-old venting and flaring rules to require common sense and cost effective measures to reduce the waste of gas, recognizing recent technological advances in oil and gas production. According to Interior officials, the rule aims to increase our nation's natural gas supplies,...
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