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(CNN) -
The Biden administration proposes new rules from several federal agencies with the same goal: reducing methane emissions that warm the planet.
At the center of the announcement is a regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that would force oil and gas companies to more accurately detect, monitor and repair methane leaks from new wells. and existing pipes and other equipment.
The EPA estimates it will reduce 41 million tons of methane emissions between 2023 and 2035, more than all the carbon dioxide emitted by all passenger cars and commercial aircraft in the United States in 2019.
Methane is a greenhouse gas about 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term, and experts have told CNN that reducing leakage is one of the easiest ways to slow global warming.
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It is the main component of natural gas, which powers about 40% of the US electricity sector.
It can enter the atmosphere through leaks from oil and natural gas wells, gas pipelines, and the processing equipment themselves.
Landfills and agriculture are also a source of methane emissions.
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Increased levels of methane
After a slowdown in the early 2000s, atmospheric methane concentrations have risen rapidly over the past 10 years, with five-year average growth rates now rivaling those seen in the 1980s.
The EPA's proposal comes as Biden attends the UN climate summit in Glasgow, where countries are coming together to increase their ambitions to decarbonize their economies.
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"With this landmark move, EPA addresses existing sources in the oil and natural gas industry across the country, in addition to updating standards for new sources, to ensure robust and long-lasting reductions in pollution. nationwide, "EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.
Biden's EPA rule would go further than former President Barack Obama's EPA rule, which only covered new and recently modified equipment.
It would also regulate natural gas that comes as a by-product of oil production, which is often vented or flared, and cover leaks from compressor stations and pneumatic gas controllers, all of which can be the sources of gas. severe methane leaks.
If the rules are applied, the agency says that would mean a new routine check on 300,000 wells across the country.
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"In total, the estimate is that about 75% of all methane emissions will be covered by this EPA rule," a senior administration official told reporters.
"Methane is obviously a key issue for the United States."
The Department of the Interior and the Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (DOI) also announced a final rule to address the potent greenhouse gas. The DOI proposed rule will combat emissions from wells on public lands by discouraging venting and flaring, while PHMSA extends federal regulations to all onshore pipelines, requiring companies to monitor and report leaks and flaring. safety information.
The US Department of Agriculture will focus on ways to capture methane from agriculture, working with farmers to identify ways to reduce methane through the food chain. Although 30% of the country's methane emissions come from the oil and gas industry, it is also important to address methane from landfills and agriculture, officials stressed.
The Biden administration has been looking for ways to meet the president's goal of reducing US greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 50% by 2030. The administration is trying to show strong executive action to complement the agenda. Biden's climate policy in Congress, especially as some senators have not explicitly endorsed the economic framework that contains most of the Democrats' climate measures.
One such measure is a rate that would be applied to oil and gas companies that emit methane above a certain threshold, along with $ 775 million in grants and incentives to help companies stay below the threshold.
"The rate and the rules should be complementary tools," Jon Goldstein of the Environmental Defense Fund told CNN.
"The rules are essential because, if designed correctly, they guarantee a general reduction. The rate has the ability to increase regulations leading to faster and potentially additional reductions."
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The administration is putting an emphasis on reducing methane emissions both at home and abroad, in the hope that it will help limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which scientists say the world should stay below to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Methane emissions from oil and gas "are the easiest fruit, it is the largest industrial source of methane emissions" in the United States, Goldstein said.
Environmental groups also claim that plugging leaks is good for the bottom line for oil and gas producers, as much of the potential product escapes into the atmosphere.
"At the end of the day, what escapes is a product that can be sold," said Julie McNamara, deputy director for climate and energy policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
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