A company operating in the Permian Basin agreed to pay a penalty of $1,285,000 to settle allegations of unauthorized emissions from its oil and gas facilities.

Helicopter Detected Leaks
EPA’s news release said it identified leaks from tanks, flares, and other equipment “using a helicopter equipped with a special infrared camera that detects hydrocarbon leaks.” According to the Regional Administrator for EPA Region 6 (which includes Texas) quoted in the news release: “By using state-of-the art technology and helicopter surveillance, we are able to detect these hazardous emissions over a large geographic area.”

Agreement Also Requires Corrective Actions
As part of the agreement, the company must implement “site-specific corrective actions, inspections, equipment upgrades, and permitting and operations reviews. The settlement also requires the company to conduct optical gas imaging surveys at each of their facilities, tank pressure monitoring, and combustion control device monitoring to ensure future compliance.”

To see the news release https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-announces-13-million-settlement-permian-basin-company