Colorado regulators on Friday (Dec. 17) approved a set of rules designed to curb emissions of climate-warming methane and smog-causing volatile organic compounds (VOC) from oil and gas operations.

The rules mandate “the capture or control of a significant portion” of methane emissions from oil and gas production sites, pipeline operations and midstream facilities; expanded inspections at oil and gas facilities, including production sites and compressor stations; performance testing of enclosed combustion devices designed to reduce VOC emissions; and improved transparency and accountability in the state’s annual emissions inventories, said the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).

The department’s Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) unanimously...