EPA предлагает признать, что в Пуэрто-Рико нет регулируемых объектов по добыче нефти и газа

On August 27, 2026, the Environmental Protection Agency published in the Federal Register a proposed rule (document 2026-17495; 91 FR 55313–55315) to approve Puerto Rico's negative declaration regarding crude oil and natural gas facilities. The primary reference is the notice on FederalRegister.gov / GovInfo of docket EPA-R02-OAR-2026-2741. This file note is dated September 17, 2026; the regulatory peg is the August 27 publication, not a new action of September 17. The Agency requests written comments until September 28, 2026.

According to the primary summary, the EPA proposes to approve a negative declaration from the Commonwealth that formally certifies that there are no existing crude oil or natural gas facilities in the jurisdiction of Puerto Rico that must comply with the Emission Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Existing Crude Oil and Natural Gas Facilities (40 CFR part 60, subpart OOOOc). This certification was submitted in place of a State Plan under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act, in accordance with the procedures of 40 CFR 60.23a(b), 62.06, and 60.5362c(b).

The Commonwealth submitted the negative declaration on March 26, 2025. The primary explains the framework: Subpart OOOOc, codified on March 8, 2024 (89 FR 17140), requires states and territories to have implementation plans for methane standards for designated oil and gas facilities that commenced construction, modification, or reconstruction on or before December 6, 2022. If a jurisdiction has no designated facilities, it can meet the requirement with a negative declaration instead of a state plan; if it fails to submit an approvable plan, the EPA may impose a Federal implementation plan.

The proposed action amends 40 CFR part 62, subpart BBB—Puerto Rico, to reflect the receipt and approval of that negative declaration. The preamble clarifies that, in the EPA’s evaluation, the submission serves in place of a CAA §111(d) State Plan for the crude oil and natural gas source category. The Agency requests public comments on the regulatory interpretations and facility analysis discussed in the proposed rule; the comments will be reviewed before a final rule amends subpart BBB.

For the Borinquen file, the journalistic value is regulatory literacy. This is an air quality and CAA compliance procedure — not a grant, not a disbursement to PREPA, LUMA, or Genera, not an energy plant approval, and not a capital award. Obligated is not disbursed: the proposed rule does not appropriate millions nor award. Presenting the notice as “federal money for energy” or as a “gas permit” would be inventing outside of the primary. Accusation and conviction do not apply either.

The docket EPA-R02-OAR-2026-2741 includes the supporting document entitled “PR Negative Declaration for NSPS OOOOc.” The regional contact listed in the primary is Blythe Reder, EPA Region 2, Air and Radiation Division—Air Planning Branch. Comments must be submitted on Regulations.gov under that docket; the EPA warns that comments outside of the primary submission are generally not considered. This table does not invent the content of comments already received nor does it anticipate the final text of the rule.

In the energy context of the Island, the dependence on imported fuels and the discussion about liquefied natural gas or thermal generation are real local debates, but the primary does not authorize terminals, does not change rates, and does not award generation contracts. Certifying the absence of facilities designated under OOOOc is a jurisdictional finding for purposes of methane emission guidelines in existing oil and gas sources; it does not equate to a complete energy census nor to a statement about all of Puerto Rico's electrical infrastructure.

The primary also situates the action within statutory reviews and executive orders: the EPA maintains that the proposed action is not a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866, does not impose information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act, and does not have a significant economic impact on small entities under the Regulatory Flexibility Act, among other administrative certifications. These classifications reinforce the procedural nature of the notice: to inform the public of the receipt of the negative declaration and to propose reviewing 40 CFR part 62, subpart BBB.

Operational summary for editors: (1) FR publication 2026-08-27; daily 2026-09-17 —different peg, stated clearly; (2) primary Federal Register URL 2026-17495; (3) negative declaration submitted by the Commonwealth on March 26, 2025; (4) proposes to approve certification of absence of OOOOc facilities and amend 40 CFR part 62 subpart BBB; (5) comments until 2026-09-28; (6) there is no grant, award, or disbursement to PREPA; (7) accusation, conviction, or theft do not apply. The topic is both because it connects federal clean air procedure with the energy matrix and the territory's industrial certification.