US targets oil and natural gas industry's role in global warming with new rule on methane emissions

us targets oil and natural gas industry's role in global warming with new rule on methane emissions

Michael Regan, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, speaks at the U.S. Center at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Saturday issued a final rule aimed at reducing methane emissions, targeting the U.S. oil and natural gas industry for its role in global warming as President Joe Biden seeks to advance his climate legacy.

The Environmental Protection Agency said the rule will sharply reduce methane and other harmful air pollutants generated by the oil and gas industry, promote use of cutting-edge methane detection technologies and deliver significant public health benefits in the form of reduced hospital visits, lost school days and even deaths. Air pollution from oil and gas operations can cause cancer, harm the nervous and respiratory systems and contribute to birth defects.

us targets oil and natural gas industry's role in global warming with new rule on methane emissions

Michael Regan, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, speaks at the U.S. Center at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

EPA Administrator Michael Regan and White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi announced the final rule at the U.N. climate conference in the United Arab Emirates. Separately, the president of the climate summit announced Saturday that 50 oil companies representing nearly half of global production have pledged to reach near-zero methane emissions and end routine flaring in their operations by 2030.

us targets oil and natural gas industry's role in global warming with new rule on methane emissions

Michael Regan, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, speaks at the U.S. Center at the COP28 U.N. Climate Summit, Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)

Oil and gas operations are the largest industrial source of methane, the main component in natural gas and far more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term. It is responsible for about one-third of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions. Sharp cuts in methane emissions are a global priority to slow the rate of climate change and are a major topic at the conference, known as COP28.

Presidents, prime ministers and royals from nations rich and poor have vowed to reduce how much their countries spew heat-trapping gases and asked their colleagues to do better.

“On Day One, President Biden restored America’s critical role as the global leader in confronting climate change,” Regan said, referring to Biden’s actions returning the U.S. to the Paris climate agreement and ordering an immediate review of environmental regulations rolled back by the previous administration.

The methane rule finalizes a proposal Biden made at a UN climate conference in Scotland in 2021 and expanded a year later at a climate conference in Egypt. It targets emissions from existing oil and gas wells nationwide, rather than focusing only on new wells, as previous EPA regulations have done. It also regulates smaller wells that will be required to find and plug methane leaks. Such wells currently are subject to an initial inspection but are rarely checked again for leaks.

us targets oil and natural gas industry's role in global warming with new rule on methane emissions

FILE – White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi attends a speech by President Joe Biden about supply chain issues in the Indian Treaty Room on the White House complex in Washington, Nov. 27, 2023. The Biden administration has issued a final rule aimed at reducing methane emissions, targeting the US oil and natural gas industry for its role in global warming. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

Studies have found that smaller wells produce just 6% of the nation’s oil and gas but account for up to half the methane emissions from well sites.

The plan also will phase in a requirement for energy companies to eliminate routine flaring of natural gas that is produced by new oil wells.

The new methane rule will help ensure that the United States meets a goal set by more than 100 nations to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels, Regan said.

The EPA rule is just one of more than 100 actions the Biden administration has taken to reduce methane emissions, Zaidi added.

“From mobilizing billions in investment to plug orphaned wells, patch leaky pipes and reclaim abandoned mines, to setting strong standards that will cut pollution from the oil and gas sector, the Biden-Harris Administration is putting the full throw-weight of the federal government into slashing harmful methane pollution,” he said.

The new rule will be coordinated with a methane fee approved in the 2022 climate law. The fee, set to take effect next year, will charge energy producers that exceed a certain level of methane emissions as much as $1,500 per metric ton of methane. The plan marks the first time the U.S. government has directly imposed a fee, or tax, on greenhouse gas emissions.

The law allows exemptions for companies that comply with the EPA’s standards or fall below a certain emissions threshold. It also includes $1.5 billon in grants and other spending to help companies and local communities improve monitoring and data collection, and find and repair natural gas leaks.

Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, called the new rule a victory for public health.

“EPA heeded the urgent guidance of health experts across the country and finalized a strong methane rule that, when fully implemented, will significantly reduce hazardous air pollutants and climate-warming methane pollution from the oil and gas industry,” he said in a statement.

Methane has been shown to leak into the atmosphere during every stage of oil and gas production, Wimmer said, and “people who live near oil and gas wells are especially vulnerable to these exposure risks. This rule (is) vital to advancing environmental justice commitments.”

David Doniger, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, called methane a “super-polluter.” He said in an interview that the Biden plan “takes a very solid whack at climate pollution. I wish this had happened 10 years ago (under the Obama administration), but I’m really happy it’s happening now.”

Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, said the new rule ensures that “the U.S. now has the most protective methane pollution limits on the books. With other countries also zeroing in on methane as a key climate risk, it’s a signal to operators worldwide that clean-up time is here,” he said.

The oil industry has generally welcomed direct federal regulation of methane emissions, preferring a single national standard to a hodgepodge of state rules. Even so, energy companies have asked EPA to exempt hundreds of thousands of the nation’s smallest wells from the pending methane rules.

OTHER NEWS

10 minutes ago

Saxenda injections for weight loss: Side effects and benefits

10 minutes ago

Closing asset loophole could add billions to tax collections, IRS says

10 minutes ago

Charming letter J.R.R Tolkien wrote to eight-year-old boy could fetch $20k

10 minutes ago

If you're sick of screen time, switching to a 'dumbphone' may be a smart move

10 minutes ago

Vanna White Young: A Look Back at the 'Wheel of Fortune' Beauty's Early Days

10 minutes ago

Developers break ground at site of failed Chicago Spire project

10 minutes ago

Is the post office closed on Juneteenth? Here's what's open on Wednesday.

16 minutes ago

US Supreme Court refuses to take up challenge to Florida's online sports betting compact

16 minutes ago

Chef Gordon Ramsay shows bike helmet after serious accident: 'I'm lucky to be here'

16 minutes ago

Violence against MPs has become worryingly normalised

16 minutes ago

Mother of two faces terminal cancer after nearly 10 years of misdiagnosis by the NHS

16 minutes ago

Brooke Shields wears yellow Crocs to 2024 Tony Awards

16 minutes ago

Bride reacts to sister-in-law’s warning about ‘low-cut’ wedding dress

16 minutes ago

'Bond King' Bill Gross sells rare 'Z' Grill stamp for $4.4M

16 minutes ago

Pirates and Sundowns PSL legends become hottest free agents!

16 minutes ago

Steelers LB T.J. Watt addresses retirement timeline

16 minutes ago

Detroit Lions position battle updates following offseason program

16 minutes ago

Adele spends millions transforming £45million home she bought from Sly Stallone

16 minutes ago

I’m a Retired Race Car Driver: These Are the 5 Best Cars for Your Money for Speed

16 minutes ago

Star CB discusses future with Broncos

16 minutes ago

What Matt LaFleur and Packers must accomplish in 2024 for head coach to finally win Coach of the Year

16 minutes ago

New Panthers WR believes he's 'a diamond in the rough'

16 minutes ago

Three Up, Three Down: Drivers in focus leaving Iowa

16 minutes ago

Never-before-seen alphabet of lost civilisation unearthed in Spain

16 minutes ago

Bryson DeChambeau discloses key conversations during tense US Open 18th hole

16 minutes ago

Las Vegas Raiders position battle updates after OTAs, minicamp

18 minutes ago

Sorry, But the '90s Did Summer Dressing Better—5 Looks Inspiring My 2024 Wardrobe

18 minutes ago

Arne Slot handed Liverpool transfer boost as Bayern rebuild takes fresh twist

18 minutes ago

England: Slow start is no surprise but Gareth Southgate needs answers to Phil Foden question

18 minutes ago

Sunak backs Southgate’s call for fans not to sing about German war casualties

18 minutes ago

David Moyes pays emotional tribute to Kevin Campbell after ex-Everton star's tragic death

18 minutes ago

More important than Kipre: West Brom must keep "outstanding" star

18 minutes ago

TFSA: 3 Canadian Stocks to Buy and Hold Forever

18 minutes ago

Chelsea Transfer News Today: Calafiori COMPETITION, Olise BOOST and Duran UPDATE

18 minutes ago

Justin Fields named one of Steelers' biggest 'losers' at OTAs

18 minutes ago

Copa America presents 'massive' test for Canadian men's soccer team

18 minutes ago

Living in a surfer's paradise! Chic townhouse with incredible floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking beach in Cornwall goes on the market for £2.75million

18 minutes ago

Video: Royal Ascot's first creative director reveals he got his big break thanks to Harry Styles who was his first ever customer straight out of university

18 minutes ago

Video: Deborah James' mother Heather reveals she's 'dreading' the second anniversary of the bowel cancer campaigner's death because it brings back memories of all their 'lasts' together

18 minutes ago

NASCAR Power Rankings: Ryan Blaney rising, Tyler Reddick falling after Iowa