In Southern California, the efforts to achieve national air-quality standards entail regulation of the emissions not only Erom oil refineries and automobiles, but also from lawn mowes and backyard barbecue grills. Virtually the only sources of air pollution that have not been subject to mandatory state regulation were certain oil and gas drilling operations on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
That is about to change.
Congress Ifurther] directed the Agency to impose on offshore facilities located within twenty-five miles of the affected states the same emissions standards they would
have to meet if they were located onshore.
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Up to now, as part of its overall responsibilities for administering the OCS, the Department of the Interior has regulated air emissions from oil and gas drilling and production operations. Interior took a relatively lighthanded approach. Not satisfied that such an approach was adequate to alleviate adverse air impacts of offshore operations, in Section 328 of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (CAAA 'go), Congress shifted responsibility for regulating OCS air emissions from Interior to the EPA. Congress [further] directed the Agency to impose on Dffshore facilities located within twenty-five miles of the 3ffected states the same emissions standards they would ;lave to meet if they were located onshore. The regulations implementing this provision have been issued in proposed Form, and final regulations are due shortly.
The new law covers OCS operations in the Atlantic, Mary Anne Sullivan is a partner in the Washington, D.C., h w firm of Hogan & Hartson. She is active in both the fum's energy and environmental pmctices and makes a specialty of environmental issues that affect the energy industry.