Law360 Quotes Special Counsel Wayne J. D’Angelo on Obama’s Methane Plan

Special Counsel Wayne J. D’Angelo was quoted in the Law360 article ​“With Methane Plan, Obama Puts Oil, Gas Cos. In Crosshairs.” The article discusses the Obama administration’s plan to curb methane emissions, specifically by regulating the oil and gas industry,which experts say will result in expanded federal oversight of greenhouse gas emissions across all development activities, including hydraulic fracturing. Mr. D’Angelo says that the methane plan is the latest sign the Obama administration intends to regulate fracking on all fronts, a task that has historically been left to states.  He predicts that the administration will attempt several methane rules before the end of Obama’s second term and explains that including methane emissions reduction in the government’s quadrennial energy review will provide a key opportunity for stakeholders to weigh in on the issue. ​“Doing these white papers and getting really dispassionate, scientific reviews of the issue is a good thing… That’s a conversation the administration is correctly having with industry. We all want to capture methane.”