The next Large Group meeting will be on Tuesday, November 27, 2018, and we will have video conferencing at the usual three locations:

·        Vernal – USU campus in Vernal (320 N. Aggie Blvd.) in Room 101.  Come through the main entrance, and it is the first door on your left.

·        Salt Lake City – Ray Quinney & Nebeker, 36 South State Street, Suite 1400

·        Denver – EPA Region 8, 1595 Wynkoop St. (ask for Chris Dresser, and please RSVP to him prior to meeting)

We are experimenting with a new system that should allow more call-in options. We will send call-in information before the meeting.

Please contact Marie Durrant or Ashley Korenblat with any suggestions, questions, or if others need to be added to our email list.

Our next large group meeting is Tuesday, October 30, 2018. We will use the same format as last time – three meetings with video conference at:

• Vernal – USU campus in Vernal (320 N. Aggie Blvd.) in Room 101. Come through the main entrance, and it is the first door on your left.
• Salt Lake City – Ray Quinney & Nebeker, 36 South State Street, Suite 1400
• Denver – EPA Region 8, 1595 Wynkoop St. (ask for Chris Dresser)

If you cannot make it to one of the video conferences, please email Doris, and we can provide you a link to join from other remote locations. Agenda is here.

Thanks to everyone who has participated in the sub-group meetings!

UINTA BASIN OZONE WORKING GROUP
AGENDA FOR OCTOBER 30, 2018 MEETING Continue reading “October 30 Large Group Meeting” →

We have had to reschedule the October meeting to Tuesday, October 30, 2018, at 2:00 pm. We will have the same video conferencing at the same three locations:

• Vernal – USU Campus – room to be announced
• Salt Lake City – Ray Quinney & Nebeker, 36 South State Street, Suite 1400
• Denver – EPA Region 8, 1595 Wynkoop St. (ask for Chris Dresser)

The new date is to accommodate several of the regulators who have a meeting in New Mexico on October 24. Thanks for your understanding!

Thank you to all who organized, presented, and attended! The second meeting had as many participants as the first.

In two densely packed hours, we heard and discussed:

• current status of the Basin’s inventory, direct measurements, modeling of ozone precursors, and active research questions by Seth Lyman USU and Whitney Oswald DAQ,
• an overview of Marginal Nonattainment regulatory requirements by Chris Dresser EPA,
• an unofficial synopsis of General Conformity by Eric Vernon BLM, and
• a survey of upstream and midstream current emissions-curbing activities by Stuart Siffring WEA and Adrienne Sandoval of Andeavor.

Breaking into Subgroups. The needs of an Ozone Work Group have been roughly divided into 7 categories. Participants/members who wish to have ongoing influence in the UBOWG should concentrate in at least one area. Until group leaders are identified to contact directly, please indicate any preferences in the Join/Participate form.

1. Proactive responses to ozone events – technically feasible actions, motivating industry buy-in and reporting — Industry Only
2. Identifying most effective emission reduction targets
3. How to credit voluntary/pro-active reductions/Ozone Advance
4. Comparison with other areas that have taken proactive steps to reduce ozone (Wyoming, Colorado, Four Corners)
5. Accounting for factors outside of traditional regulation (background/inversions/ exceptional events etc.)
6. Aligning regulations/credit/actions across the UB air sheds
7. Public Engagement

Steering Committee. There is no formal steering committee at present, although organizing the UBOWG so far has been Folks Showing Up with Opinions. More formal appointments will likely come out of representation from the final Subgroups.

Next Meeting. October 25, 2 p.m. Locations to be announced. Update: Meeting will be October 30, 2 pm.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 MEETING

Meeting Locations with video conferencing are being held at:

• Vernal – USU Bingham Building, Room 101, 320 N. Aggie Blvd

• Salt Lake City – Ray Quinney & Nebeker, 36 South State Street, Suite 1400

• Denver – EPA Region 8, 1595 Wynkoop St. (ask for Chris Dresser)

We are also providing a call-in to the WebX video conference for those who can’t attend in person: +1-415-655-0001 / Access code: 196 281 020

1. Presentation on ozone situation in the Uinta Basin: Causes, research findings, and information gaps (15 min.)
   1. Seth Lyman (USU) and Whitney Oswald (UDAQ)
2. Discussion of “Fact Sheet” for Uinta Basin ozone nonattainment requirements and process (10 min.)
   1. Chris Dresser (EPA)
3. Information sharing site – how to access/contribute information (8 min.)
   1. Debbie Burney-Sigman (Breathe Utah) 
4. Presentation on general conformity (10 min.)
   1. Erik Vernon (BLM)
5. Presentation on best practices/voluntary measures already implemented by industry (15 min.)
   1. Stuart Siffring (Western Energy Alliance), Adrienne Sandoval (Andeavor)
6. Develop working group assignments for next meeting (proposed list – to be developed/added to) (30-45 min.)
   1. Proactive responses to ozone events – technically feasible actions, motivating industry buy-in and reporting
   2. How to credit voluntary/pro-active reductions/Ozone Advance
   3. Comparison with other areas that have taken pro-active steps to reduce ozone (Wyoming, Colorado, Four Corners)
   4. Identifying most effective emission reduction targets
   5. Accounting for factors outside of traditional regulation (background/inversions/ exceptional events etc.)
   6. Aligning regulations/credit/actions across air-sheds
7. Setting regular monthly meeting time (5 min.)
   

 

The next Uinta Basin Ozone Working Group meeting will be September 25, 2018, at 2:00. The main meeting will be held in Vernal at the USU Bingham Research Center, since there is a research meeting there that morning. The address is: USU Bingham Building, Room 101 (on your left as soon as you walk into the building), 320 N. Aggie Blvd. in Vernal.

Ray, Quinney, Nebeker will also provide video conferencing at Ray Quinney & Nebeker in Salt Lake City at 36 South State Street, Suite 1400. We can validate parking for anyone who comes. We are also working to provide video conferencing in Denver and will announce if that is available.

Please email Marie or enter a comment here letting organizers know if/where you plan to attend, so we can get approximate head counts.

The draft agenda is posted here. Please email or enter comments for any ideas/changes/suggestions you might have for the agenda. See you all in less than two weeks!

Continue reading “Meeting Announcement–September 25” →

The Uinta Basin was declared a Marginal Nonattainment Area effective Aug 3, 2018, starting a three year clock to prevent a worse designation of Moderate. With the knowledge that ozone affects the community’s health and that Moderate nonattainment brings with it automatic restrictions to the oil and gas industry, twenty-eight interested people met in the Uintah County Conference Center the afternoon before the 2018 UB Energy Summit and agreed to work towards reasonable, cost-effective measures to manage ozone levels.

The assembled group represented

• regulators
• political leaders
• Ute Tribe
• the regulated community
• Advocates

The group is far from complete. All who are able to contribute to problem solving are invited to do so. To be added to the roster, please enter your contact information under the “Participate” tab.

SUMMARY OF INTRODUCTORY/EXPLORATORY MEETING: AUGUST 29, 2018

AND ACTION ITEMS Continue reading “Uinta Basin Ozone Work Group Est. Aug 29, 2018” →