The Obama administration on Thursday announced its final rule governing methane emissions from new oil and gas wells. These are the first rules targeted at methane, which has a “global warming potential” 86 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period and, because it moves out of the atmosphere much faster than CO2, a global warming potential 34 times greater than CO2 over a 100-year period. The new rule also calls for reductions in volatile organic compounds like benzene, well known as a potent carcinogen. Technical information on the rule can be read here.
The rule is part of a larger plan that seeks to cut methane emissions from the U.S. gas and oil sector by 40 to 45 percent over its 2012 levels by 2025. By the end of this year, the Bureau of Land Management is slated to cut methane emissions from oil and gas drilling and hydraulic fracking on public lands. That’s only a small proportion of overall gas and oil production, however.
The rule does not affect existing wells. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is working on another rule dealing with those, but this won’t be completed until well after President Obama leaves office in January. All this matters in terms of implementing the Paris climate agreement, under which the United States has committed to reducing its overall greenhouse gas emissions 26 to 28 percent by 2025.
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy stated:
Today, we are underscoring the Administration’s commitment to finding commonsense ways to cut methane—a potent greenhouse gas fueling climate change—and other harmful pollution from the oil and gas sector [...] Together these new actions will protect public health and reduce pollution linked to cancer and other serious health effects while allowing industry to continue to grow and provide a vital source of energy for Americans across the country.
Phil McKenna at the Pulitzer Prize-winning InsideClimate News site reports:
"Even when they are finished with this current round, 75 percent of the oil and gas equipment would still not be regulated," said Conrad Schneider, advocacy director for the Clean Air Task Force, a Boston-based environmental organization. "They cannot achieve their international commitments and targets without regulating existing sources." [...]
Oil and gas industry officials, however, called the new rules excessive.
"Imposing a one-size-fits-all scheme on the industry could actually stifle innovation and discourage investments in new technologies that could serve to further reduce emissions," Kyle Isakower, vice president of regulatory and economic Policy at the American Petroleum Institute, said in a statement.
Methane emissions from the oil and gas industry now make up one-third of total methane emissions, surpassing emissions from the agricultural sector, mostly a product of the digestive processes of cattle. The new and yet-to-be finalized methane regulations will not govern emissions from agriculture.
Increased methane emissions derive from stepped-up production of oil and gas in the United States made possible by vast growth in hydraulic fracturing, in which chemicals are injected under pressure to pry oil and gas from shale deposits. Studies of this so-called fracking and disposal of fracking waste have revealed tainted drinking water and a vastly increased number of small earthquakes. Fracking can also cause harm to hearts, lungs, and immune systems, with infants and young children most at risk, according to a new study released this week.
Ultimately, more and more environmental advocates say, reducing the impacts of climate change requires that fossil fuels be left in the ground and replaced by alternative fuels—solar, wind, geothermal, and others. Focusing on this goal, a 13-day action campaign under the rubric of #breakfree fossil fuels has been going on since May 4 and concludes Sunday.