The Biden Administration Announces Methane Emission Restrictions to Meet 2030 Goal

The Biden administration is cracking down on methane emission rules as he targets drilling and the fossil fuel industry.

Source: PBS NewsHour/YouTube

Biden announced a new rule by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which follows the methane regulations from last year that were announced at the United Nations climate summit in Scotland. The rule from last year targets emissions from existing oil and gas wells rather than focusing on only new wells. However, this new rule aims at all drilling sites, including small ones. Currently, small wells are only subject to an initial inspection, but rarely anything after.

Source: FRANCE 24 English/YouTube

White House national climate adviser Ali Zaidi said at the COP27 in Egypt that the Biden administration is making “a relentless focus to root out emissions wherever we can find them.”

Oil and gas production is the largest source of methane in the United States. They are now one of the more than 100 countries that have pledged to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030 from 2020 levels.

“We must lead by example when it comes to tackling methane pollution — one of the biggest drivers of climate change,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan, who also is in Egypt for the climate talks. The new, stronger standards “will enable innovative new technology to flourish while protecting people and the planet,” he said.

“Our regulatory approach is very aggressive from a timing standpoint and a stringency standpoint,” Regan said at a briefing in Egypt. The old and new rules should be able to prevent more than 80% of the energy waste, about 36 million tons of carbon emissions, he said.

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