Q492. Are facilities designed solely to fractionate natural gas liquid streams (and do not receive a gaseous form of natural gas containing methane) subject to subpart W?

A492. Yes, under both the rule as amended on May 14, 2024 (89 FR 42062) and the rule prior to the amendments, all facilities that fractionate NGLs are in the onshore natural gas processing industry segment, provided they meet the 25,000 mt CO₂e emissions threshold for reporting, even if they do not receive gas for processing. According to 40 CFR 98.230(a)(3) of the amended rule, natural gas processing means “the forced extraction of natural gas liquids (NGLs) from field gas, fractionation of mixed NGLs to natural gas products, or both”. A facility that only fractionates NGLs meets the second part of this definition and is thus, subject to Subpart W. According to 40 CFR 98.230(a)(3) of the rule prior to the amendments, natural gas processing means “the separation of natural gas liquids (NGLs) or non-methane gases from produced natural gas, or the separation of NGLs into one or more component mixtures.” A facility that only fractionates NGLs meets the second part of this definition and is thus, subject to Subpart W.