New EPA Ruling Affects Oil and Gas Industry

A case brought before the Supreme Court, West Virginia v. EPA, resulted in the Court restricting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. power plants, in a 6-3 decision. This limits the EPA’s ability to regulate the oil and gas industry with new regulations, as the case sought to transition electricity generation from coal to natural gas and then renewables.

The case found that Congress, not the EPA, has the power to create a broad span of cap-and-trade regulations, which is one policy mechanism to reduce emissions, to limit emissions from existing power plants to help transition the country from coal to renewable energy. 

The Court explained that a forced nationwide transition away from coal-generated electricity might be a solution for the day, but presents bigger challenges in the future. It is not feasible for Congress to give the EPA the authority to adopt its own regulatory scheme, as it throws an imbalance to the entire sector regarding what companies can and cannot do.

With current industry and safety regulations in place, Otis Instruments offers a wide variety of Wired and WireFree easy-to-use, robust and configurable gas detectors for the oil and gas industry. Made in the USA, our high-quality products are capable of detecting both toxic and non-toxic gases for diverse applications.

For more information about gas detection solutions for the oil and gas industry or would like assistance regarding gas detection for your application, contact our team today.