The oil industry has criticized the Obama Administration’s goal, announced yesterday, to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40-45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025.
Methane emissions from oil and natural gas production are falling and the new proposed regulations could disrupt America’s energy renaissance, said Jack Gerard, American Petroleum Institute president and CEO.
“As oil and natural gas production has risen dramatically, methane emissions have fallen thanks to industry leadership and investment in new technologies,” Gerard said. “And even with that knowledge, the White House has singled out oil and natural gas for regulation, where methane emissions represent only 2 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions.
“Emissions will continue to fall as operators innovate and find new ways to capture and deliver more methane to consumers, and existing EPA and state regulations are working. Another layer of burdensome requirements could actually slow down industry progress to reduce methane emissions.”
The EPA says methane emissions accounted for nearly 10 percent of US greenhouse gas emissions in 2012, of which nearly 30 percent came from the production transmission and distribution of oil and natural gas. The agency projects oil and gas sector emissions will rise more than 25 percent by 2025 without additional steps to lower them.
The proposed methane emissions limits are part of Obama’s Climate Action Plan.
