STRONGER was formed in 1999 as a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization made up of representatives from the oil and gas industry, state regulatory agencies, and the environmental community. Together these stakeholders develop and share innovative techniques and environmental protection strategies, and identify opportunities for state program improvement.
In October 2013 the STRONGER Board established an Air Workgroup to develop guidelines for state air quality programs related to oil and gas exploration and production. The workgroup included representatives of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, state air and oil and gas programs, the oil and gas industry, and environmental organizations. The Workgroup submitted a draft guideline to the STRONGER Board in January 2014, along with a request that the draft be distributed for public comment before being finalized.
At its January 20, 2014 meeting, the Board approved the draft guideline and established a comment period to end on March 31, 2014, which was subsequently extended to April 30, 2014. Comments were received from a range of entities, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Defense Fund, the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, SM Energy, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
After considering all of the comments received, the Work Group submitted the revised air guideline to the STRONGER Board with a consensus recommendation for approval.
On July 1, 2014 the STRONGER Board approved the final air guideline and the associated glossary of terms. The Air Quality Guideline will be incorporated into the full STRONGER Guidelines in its 2014 revision. The final Air Quality Guideline is available on the STRONGER website at www.strongerinc.org.
For more information, please contact Ryan Steadley: rsteadley.stronger@gmail.com.