Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today commended the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) announcement that it is taking additional steps to cut harmful methane emissions produced by the oil and gas industry. Methane is a potent contributor to climate change, with more than 25 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. The new rule announced today will help achieve the Obama Administration’s goal of reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry by 40 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. Pallone provided the following comment:
I commend the Obama Administration for finalizing a rule that - for the first time - limits the emission of methane, smog- forming volatile organic compounds and other toxic pollutants from the oil and natural gas sector. These standards will help protect public health by reducing dangerous air pollutants linked to asthma attacks, lung damage, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Today’s final rule is a major step in fulfilling our commitment to address climate change, and to demonstrate our nation’s leadership in combatting this global issue.
