Throughout his campaign, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump promised robust policy changes that would make energy more accessible and affordable to Americans if he were elected. President Trump quickly followed through on that promise two months after his inauguration in January. In March, the President issued a sweeping executive order calling for the federal government to review “all existing regulations” for their “potential repeal, replacement, or modification.”

The executive order was aimed at promoting America’s energy independence and economic growth. President Trump said, “We’re going to have clean water … clean air. … We’re getting rid of as many of those [unnecessary regulations] as we can.”

GPA Midstream Association President and CEO Mark Sutton responded to the order by issuing the following public statement: “The midstream industry is pleased with President Trump’s new executive order for energy independence and economic growth. This executive order will address several regulations impacting the midstream industry, such as the EPA’s [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] OOOOa [Quad Oa] rule, the [Council On Environmental Quality] CEQ’s National Environmental Policy Act [NEPA] guidance, and the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. Getting economic relief and reducing regulatory burdens for GPA Midstream members will help them grow, which will help increase the vitality of the industry.”

Sutton echoed common sentiments of many in the midstream industry as gathering and processing companies, their employees, and the public await the rollback of unnecessary and harsh regulations prohibiting the industry from making affordable gas readily available to the public.

Following the executive order’s issuance, the EPA requested comments and suggestions from the American public regarding which regulations it should repeal, replace, or modify. According to regualtions.gov, the federal government regulation site, the EPA alone received more than 445,000 comments as of mid-June from Americans expressing their concerns about the energy industry and environment.

GPA Midstream submitted comments thanking the EPA for the opportunity to publicly voice concerns on regulations. We commended the EPA for establishing a regulatory reform task force (RRTF) to evaluate existing regulations and make recommendations regarding their repeal, replacement, or modification. Our members are directly impacted by dozens of EPA rules, and we have a long history of collaborating with EPA on rule making through public comments and meetings. We requested that the Quad Oa methane rule for new and modified sources, the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program as it applies to the oil and gas industry, and the EPA’s proposal to add gas processing plants to toxic release inventory (TRI) reporting also be rescinded.

GPA Midstream also supports the Trump administration’s separate effort to roll back the CEQ’s NEPA guidance for federal agencies on the consideration of greenhouse-gas emissions in NEPA reviews. Our association has a lengthy history with the CEQ NEPA guidance rule, and we were thrilled when the Trump administration decided to rescind it. CEQ’s NEPA guidance was unnecessary and could possibly delay midstream infrastructure construction.

Since midstream companies operate hundreds of thousands of miles of domestic gas and liquid gathering lines and are involved in the storage, transportation and marketing of natural gas and NGL, the rollback of regulations will allow the industry to operate in the future and will be vital for the energy industry’s future. Since President Trump took office, the number of wells has increased, and the oil and gas industry collectively seems to be experiencing a wave of good energy policy recommendations from the president.

GPA Midstream, in particular, is optimistic about the future for gathering and processing and making oil and gas more readily available to the American public. We have spoken with our members frequently since the executive order was passed down, and they have voiced their praise for the executive order and forthcoming pieces of legislation that will positively affect the midstream industry.

One major concern that our members have raised is the time it will take to get these regulations rolled back. And, when will the relief actually come to fruition? While the midstream industry is thrilled with this regulatory reform rollback effort, the relief it will create couldn’t come too soon.

However, on the methane front, we were extremely pleased with the EPA’s decision to roll back the unnecessary Information Collection Request for methane from existing sources. This was possibly one of the most expensive and unnecessary regulatory efforts of the previous administration, and will provide immediate and substantial relief to the midstream industry.

By freeing the midstream industry of unnecessary and excessive regulations, Americans will have better access to affordable, widespread energy. Additionally, the U.S. will be put on a faster path to energy independence and economic freedom.

Matthew Hite is vice president of government affairs for the GPA Midstream Association.

Comments