U.S. acts to cut methane pollution

WASHINGTON – A new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule should make our air cleaner and thereby prevent and alleviate respiratory diseases. The rule, unveiled Tuesday during the UN COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan, codifies guidelines for the “methane waste emissions charge” that Congress previously authorized with the backing of U.S. PIRG and Environment America. 

Effective this year, petroleum and gas facilities that emit 25,000 or more metric tons of greenhouse gasses per year will have to pay a fee for methane emissions above their facility-specific thresholds. These fees will start at $900 per extra metric ton in 2024 and increase to $1,500 per metric ton in 2026 and beyond. 

Methane gas serves a variety of purposes, including heating our homes and powering our electrical grid. But methane can make our air less safe to breathe by facilitating the formation of particulate pollution (soot) and ground level ozone. Oil and gas companies waste or burn off huge amounts of methane each year. Methane also accounts for about a third of global warming from greenhouse gasses. 

In response, Abe Scarr, U.S. PIRG Energy and Utilities program director, said:

“Huge amounts of methane gas pollution, mostly from a small handful of facilities, are harming public health and warming our planet. With this new rule, large polluters can either cut down on methane waste, or pay a fee. We hope they choose to cut waste, which will have immediate and long term benefits.

Lisa Frank, executive director of Environment America, said: 

“Methane doesnâ€t just heat our homes or food — itâ€s also a super-pollutant heating up the planet. This announcement will mean less methane waste and air pollution, giving our kids a better chance to have a healthy future on a thriving planet.