COP28 Spotlight: US Pushes Aggressive Methane Reduction Plan

 

In a landmark move, the Biden administration officially announced sweeping restrictions targeting methane emissions from the US oil and gas sector at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. The standards, revealed after two years of research, are consistent with a larger global plan comprising 150 countries committed to decreasing methane emissions by 30% from 2020 levels by 2030.

Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, frequently escapes unobserved from oil and gas infrastructure, considerably contributing to climate change. The new rules, announced by US officials, aim to strengthen international pledges to combat climate change while improving air quality across the country. 

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator, Michael Regan, underlined the importance of these policies in combating climate change and protecting communities.

“These new standards will help us meet our international commitments to aggressively tackle climate change while improving air quality for communities all across the country,” said US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan at a press conference in Dubai.

The EPA’s policies include prohibiting routine flaring of natural gas from newly drilled oil wells, mandating leak monitoring at well sites and compressor stations, and implementing a program using third-party remote sensing to detect emissions from “super emitters.”