The Environmental Protection Agency, saying Colorado failed to adequately evaluate overall pollution impacts, ordered the state to redo an air permit for a Weld County compressor owned by Anadarko Petroleum Corp.
The order, signed by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, said the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment “failed to adequately support or explain” its decision.
The order was the result of a petition by Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action.
The environmental group argued that state regulators had failed to take into account the air-quality impacts of other Anadarko operations around the Frederick compressor station. The station prepares gas for transport in pipelines.
The state looked at activities within one city block of the compressor station.
There was “no justification for the use of one city block,” the EPA order said.
The EPA directed the state to do additional analysis for the permit in the next 90 days.
The permit was issued under Bush administration EPA guidance, said James Martin, director of the state Department of Public Health and Environment.
“We have some work to do,” Martin said.
The state and the natural-gas industry have already taken steps to cut up to 98 percent of the emissions from tanks, valves and large engines in the oil fields, Martin said.
“There is a question of how much more can be done,” Martin said.
Houston-based Anadarko acquired the Weld County operations when it bought Kerr-McGee Corp. in 2006.
“As with all of our permits, Anadarko has followed all necessary state and federal regulations in our permitting process,” Anadarko spokeswoman Kimberly Mazza said. “We will continue to cooperate with the state, providing the information needed in this permit renewal process.”
The petition’s aim was to push for a broader, regional assessment of pollution sources, said Jeremy Nichols, climate and energy program director at WildEarth Guardians.
“We’ve made a lot of progress, but we think we can do better,” Nichols said.
Among the other sources that could be addressed are leaky pipes, small engines and wellhead pumps, Nichols said.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 or mjaffe@denverpost.com
