A diverse group of corporations and environmental activists has helped pass groundbreaking methane emissions controls for oil and natural gas operations in Colorado.  

Bloomberg : “Emissions from oil and gas operations contribute to thickening smog that exceeds federal ozone guidelines … The haze prompted Governor John Hickenlooper to ask energy companies and environmentalists to come together to write the first-of-their-kind rules.”  

“’This is a model for the country,’ said Dan Grossman, the defense fund’s Rocky Mountain regional director. ‘We’ve got this simmering battle between the oil and gas industry and neighborhoods throughout the state that are being faced with development. That degree of acrimony is pushing the industry and policy makers to look for ways to get some wins.’”  

“Emissions during oil and gas operations represent the state’s largest source of volatile organic compounds that contribute to the formation of ozone, a ground-level pollutant linked to respiratory problems and decreased crop yields. Parts of Colorado violate national air quality standards for ozone.”  

Crossposted at Wonk Wire.