Natural Gas Processing Plants to Report Toxic Pollution?

Victory for Groups that Sued EPA to Require the Oil and Gas Extraction Industry to Report to the Federal Toxic Release Inventory. Washington, D.C. – In response to a petition and lawsuit by environmental and open government organizations, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will propose regulations requiring natural gas processing plants to start reporting the toxic chemicals they release. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 551 plants processed more than 19 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2014, a record high and 32 percent increase over the last 10 years. EPA estimates that more than half of these plants would meet the size thresholds for reporting benzene (a carcinogen) as well as formaldehyde, hexane, and other toxic air and wa