Utah Division of Air Quality- Oil and Gas- Uintah Basin Emissions Inventory

2005 Uintah Basin Oil and Gas Emission Inventory:

Utah has not historically calculated area source emissions from the oil and gas industry. In 2005, UDAQ prepared an initial inventory estimate of VOC and NO_x emissions in the Uintah Basin, using emission factors that had been developed in Wyoming. Oil and Gas industry representatives reviewed this initial estimate and determined that the inventory could be improved by using data more specific to the oil fields in Utah. The large producers in the area worked with DAQ inventory staff to develop a methodology for calculating emissions, and then used that methodology to calculate county-wide emission estimates.

Click here for the county-wide emission estimate.

Totals by County
County	PM₁₀ (tons/yr)	PM_2.5 (tons/yr)	SO_x (tons/yr)	NO_x (tons/yr)	VOC (tons/yr)	CO (tons/yr)
Duchesne	328.82	74.99	1.81	2,492.03	3,874.52	927.12
Uintah	3,449.73	571.84	3.46	2,638.08	24,920.14	2,072.41
Total	3,778.55	646.83	5.27	5,130.11	28,794.66	2,999.53

2005 Uintah Basin Emission Inventory for all Categories:

The current emission inventory for the Uintah Basin consists of several main parts.

Point sources are large industrial sources that submit an inventory for their site to UDAQ.
Area sources are smaller sources that are treated as a group rather than individual sources. Emission estimates are derived from national emission factors that may or may not reflect actual emissions in the Uintah Basin.
Non-road Mobile sources include construction equipment and smaller engines such as lawn mowers. Emission estimates are derived from EPA's nonroad model, and may not reflect activities due to oil and gas production in the Basin.
On-Road Mobile emissions include highway vehicles. Emission estimates are derived using EPA's MOBILE 6 model and vehicle miles traveled estimates developed by UDOT.
Biogenics are emissions from forests and other plants. The emission estimates are derived from EPA's BEIS2 model. Typically biogenic emission are highest in forest areas. The Uintah Basin biogenic emission inventory is probably concentrated in the Uintah Mountains.

Tribal Point Sources

Large portions of the Uintah Basin are on tribal lands, and the point sources emissions are reported to EPA. This category currently includes the DG&T Bonanza Power Plant as well as tribal sources that are included in the 1999 NEI. UDAQ's list of tribal sources may not be complete, and therefore this category may not include all tribal sources in the NEI inventory. 2005 NO_x emissions for the Bonanza Power Plant were obtained from EPA's acid rain database.

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