On May 12, the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released the 8th update to the Oil and Gas Production Facilities Permitting Guidance (O&G Guidance) after conducting extensive stakeholder outreach. Since 1997, the O&G Guidance has described the Best Available Control Technology (BACT) for use by oil and gas production facilities. Under state law, oil and gas exploration and production wells must use the BACT for construction and modification. DEQ’s most recent previous update to the O&G Guidance was in 2013.
A primary goal for the guidance update was to align requirements for concentrated development areas with the newer areas of development in the state. Key changes for this guidance include: establishing a new area that combines the previous Statewide Area and Concentrated Development Area; requiring controls for emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants of 6 tons per year or more from tanks and dehydration units at single wells in the new area; requiring controls for truck loading emissions of 6 tons per year or more of VOCs and hazardous air pollutants for all areas in the state; updating control requirements for pumping unit engines; and describing DEQ’s new electronic air quality permitting system (IMPACT).
The updated O&G Guidance and associated documents are available here.
