(Colorado) Regulation No. 3: Stationary Source Permitting

In response to a statute enacted by Colorado in 2019, Regulation No. 3 was updated to require air pollution permits for "well production facilities", defined as "all equipment at a single stationary source directly associated with one or more oil wells or natural gas wells upstream of the natural gas processing plant, including equipment used for storage, separation, treating, dehydration, artificial lift, combustion, compression, pumping, metering, monitoring, and flowline." (new Sec. I.B.47)

 

Sec. II.A.2 requires owners/operators of new or modified well production facilities after 1 Jan 2020 to file Air Pollutant Emissions Notices for all emitting sources. (These facilities had previously been exempt from this requirement.) Venting of natural gas lines for safety persons remains exempt, but the exemption is narrowed – it no longer applies “to routine or predictable emissions at or associated with a stationary source.”

 

Sec. II.A.1 requires air pollution construction permits to build or modify an oil and gas production facility or an oil and gas wastewater impoundment (these facilities had previously been exempt from this requirement). Adds that persons cannot modify or operate (a previously constructed) stationary source without a construction permit.

 

Sec. II.E.3.dddd stipulates that methane venting from gas lines for safety now sometimes requires an operating permit - the pre-existing exemption is narrowed – it no longer applies “to routine or predictable emissions at or associated with a stationary source.”

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