Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement today after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new proposal to curb methane emissions from oil and gas sources:
“Methane is a toxic, powerful greenhouse gas whose emissions are responsible for approximately one-third of the warming and climate disruption we live with today. As world leaders gather in Glasgow to tackle the climate crisis, the Biden Administration is safeguarding every American’s right to clean air and reclaiming the mantle as a climate leader with a robust response to methane pollution here at home.
“Curbing methane emissions is the fastest way to slow the warming of our planet, and it requires using every policy means at our disposal. The Biden EPA’s new methane proposal, combined with the Methane Emissions Reduction Program incentives in the Build Back Better Act, represent critical tools for reducing methane and the harm it causes for communities across the country. I applaud the Biden Administration for taking this action today and look forward to our continued partnership in tackling the climate crisis together."
The announcement comes as world leaders meet in Glasgow for COP26 to discuss the global response to climate change. According to the EPA, the proposed rule would reduce 41 million tons of methane emissions from 2023 to 2035, the equivalent of 920 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. That’s more than the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from all U.S. passenger cars and commercial aircraft in 2019. In 2030 alone, the rule would reduce methane emissions from sources covered in the proposal by 74 percent compared to 2005.
