Methane enters the atmosphere from oil and gas operations in various ways, including equipment leaks.
Leaks and intentional releases of methane pose an urgent problem.
Methane — the main component of natural gas — is a potent climate pollutant that warms the atmosphere. And if you’re near a well or leak, toxins that escape at the same time contaminate the air you breathe.
That’s why in 2016, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized rules that regulate methane emissions from a major source, the oil and gas industry.
But those safeguards are in jeopardy under President Trump’s EPA.
How is the EPA attacking the safeguards?
The EPA has proposed weakening requirements for finding and repairing methane leaks at oil and gas facilities, even though the EPA found the current standards are more cost-effective than the agency expected.
Meanwhile, the EPA is likely to pursue a second proposal that could eliminate direct regulation of methane altogether from the oil and gas sector.
These moves would keep the vast majority of oil and gas facilities free from oversight for years, and move away from addressing the industry’s ongoing damage to the climate.
Click to enlarge. This U.S. map shows the oil and gas wells that would be subject to weaker safeguards, if the EPA's proposed rollbacks go into effect.
480,000 more tons of methane.
120,000 more tons of smog-forming compounds.
4,700 more tons of hazardous air pollutants, such as cancer-causing benzene.
New EDF-led science shows the oil and gas industry emits much more methane than we thought. If we want to avert the worst affects of warming, we need to tackle methane head-on.
Companies are increasingly realizing that reducing methane emissions is key for natural gas to have a role as we transition to a low-carbon economy.
Shell, ExxonMobil, BP and Equinor recently spoke out in support of nationwide direct methane regulation, with Shell even urging the EPA to tighten standards.
How else are we targeting methane?
Beyond defending the federal safeguards, our work in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and California is paying off as those states show what's possible.
We're also pioneering better ways to find leaks and encouraging cost-effective ways to contain them.
They include a partnership with Google Street View cars to map methane leaks in multiple cities and our Mobile Monitoring Challenge, which is bringing the next generation of sensors to market.
From multiple fronts, we're focused on tackling methane emissions to address climate change, cut waste and protect American families.