Natural gas is almost entirely methane gas, among the most potent climate-warming greenhouse gases that trap heat in the atmosphere. One-third of global warming is due to human-caused emissions of methane, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Undated supplied image,
Lynne Terry / Oregon Capital Chronicle
Oregon officials have extended until late September the public comment window related to restarting a program aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas companies. That’s after environmental regulators received a formal request for an extension.
This is the second time state officials have attempted to draft rules over the Climate Protection Program, after an Oregon Court of Appeals decision invalidated the rules late last year.
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is currently seeking feedback on its proposed draft rules and has extended the public comment period until Sept. 27.
DEQ’s communications manager Lauren Wirtis said it’s typical for the agency to receive these types of requests during public comment periods and officials do their best to accommodate the request.
“We know these are really deep complex rules,” she said. “So, we want people to have time to look at them, think about them, and provide us with public comments.”
Related: Oregon DEQ selects nonprofit to distribute millions from climate investment program
The extension comes after a coalition of more than 20 business groups including fossil fuel industries sent a letter earlier this month, saying they needed more time to understand the new rules and what is needed to comply.
“The rule has evolved significantly over the last four months, and we appreciate the significant and respectful discourse that occurred throughout the rulemaking process. However, the Climate Protection Program is intended to have a long regulatory life and it is essential that there is ample time for affected stakeholders to evaluate the proposal and provide comments to inform the final rule,” the letter stated.
The groups originally asked for a 45-day extension, Wirtis said, but to stay on schedule, the agency decided to extend the public comment period for 30 days.
“Our goal from the beginning was implementation in 2025,” she said. “We did our best to kind of accommodate but stay on track.”
Related: Oregon Court of Appeals finds state carbon reduction rules invalid
While the Climate Protection Program is restarting its rulemaking process after an Oregon Court of Appeals invalidated the program late last year, it’s not starting from scratch. DEQ opted to use most of what it already had in the previous rule as well as help from an advisory committee to improve the program.
The proposed draft rules still create caps for oil and gas companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2050. The reworked program would also regulate heavy carbon emitters and work with the Oregon Public Utility Commission on monitoring customers’ gas bills. The plan’s accompanying carbon credit program, which is aimed at supporting communities that will be hardest hit by climate change, will also get a boost by expanding who benefits from the program.
As of last week, Wirtis said the agency has received more than 3,500 comments and expects to receive more with the extension.
“People are commenting, and we still got a month left of public comment period,” she said. “We’re getting a lot of feedback.”
Related: Oregon drafts a reboot of the state’s flagship climate program
Wirtis said the agency reads every comment it receives and incorporates feedback into the draft rules, if necessary.
The agency will hold a second virtual public hearing on the draft rules on Sep. 26.
People have until 4 p.m. on September 27 to submit comments.
