The EPA will limit methane emissions from existing oil and gas facilities — a huge move by the federal agency, announced in conjunction with President Obama’s meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday.
...
The EPA will start the formal process of developing the rule next month, while Canada expects to have a proposed rule in 2017. On a call with reporters Thursday, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said the agency will start work immediately. The first step will be requiring oil and gas companies to provide information on their methane emissions.
“It’s a really complex industry with hundreds of thousands of emissions sources,” McCarthy said. When asked whether the new rule would be able to move forward before the end of Obama’s term, she said the agency “will do whatever we can to move forward in reductions of greenhouse gases from all sources.”
Environmentalists have been calling for methane emissions reductions for years. A previously announced rule by the EPA covered only new oil and gas facilities — this new addition will greatly increase expected reductions from the sector.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/0 ... g-sources/