EPA Proposes Cutting Methane Emissions From Oil, Natural-Gas Drilling
Rules to apply to new wells, aim to cut such emissions from the sector by up to 45%
Methane gas burns off at Knott Landfill east of Bend, Ore., in January. PHOTO: ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed rules aimed at cutting methane emissions from oil and natural-gas drilling, part of a broader Obama administration goal to cut such emissions from the sector by up to 45% over the next decade from 2012 levels.
The move is expected to reverberate across the industry unevenly as different players in the sector have so far made varying degrees of progress in reducing methane emissions ahead of the proposed rules.
The rules are aimed in particular at cutting methane emissions from new oil and natural-gas wells, requiring companies to install technology to prevent methane—a potent greenhouse gas—from inadvertently leaking and to monitor their operations for possible leaks.
