Urge the EPA to strictly regulate methane!
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Through this coming Monday, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is taking public comments on new, stronger rules that will reduce greenhouse gas pollution from methane, a greenhouse gas that is roughly 104 times as potent as carbon dioxide over 12 years. The current rulemaking would reverse a Trump-era regulation that gave oil and gas companies a pass on detecting and eliminating methane leaks.
Click on "Add Your Name" to sign our petition and leave an additional comment if you wish.
Methane is also known as "natural gas." Because its atmospheric lifespan is only about 12 years, it's one of the "short-lived climate pollutants" that climate campaigners (including 350 Silicon Valley) are targeting for effective action in the near term.
According to the EPA, "the proposed rule would reduce 41 million tons of methane emissions from 2023 to 2035, the equivalent of 920 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. That’s more than the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from all U.S. passenger cars and commercial aircraft in 2019. In 2030 alone, the rule would reduce methane emissions from sources covered in the proposal by 74 percent compared to 2005.
We think the new rule should be even stronger than proposed, and our petition is specific about that. Learn more:
- Read about the federal testimony of Lissa Lynch, director of NRDC's Climate and Clean Energy Program
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To:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
From:
[Your Name]
I am deeply concerned about the U.S., and the world's, failure to act decisively and effectively to prevent climate change. I ask the EPA to vigorously pursue the strongest available methane emission-control regulations, which can significantly reduce the contribution of this super-pollutant—which creates 40 percent of global warming over a 20 year period.
Both scale and speed are necessary if we are to slow the emerging climate crisis, and better control of methane emissions provides both. EPA's proposed regulations are a good start, but if we are to succeed they must be stronger in these ways:
1) END FLARING: EPA must end the polluting, wasteful, and dangerous practice of routine flaring at oil and gas facilities, following the lead of states like Colorado and New Mexico.
2) STRENGTHEN MONITORING: EPA must strengthen weak, outdated monitoring requirements for methane emissions. Technologies to improve measurement, reporting, and verification are now available; required use of these technologies would facilitate identifying and addressing "super-emitters." Individual facilities responsible for super emissions of methane frequently have malfunctioning equipment that can be repaired fairly quickly. Next-generation monitoring is a pivotal and necessary tool.
3) CLOSE THE LOOPHOLE FOR SMALLER WELLS: As proposed, the rule allows the use of a "potential-to-emit" calculation that may allow thousands of wells to avoid regular monitoring. We agree with the testimony of NRDC's Lissa Lynch in calling for the removal of this loophole for smaller wells. Why should poor health outcomes of Americans be less important than the financial interests of the owners of smaller wells?
4) ADDRESS CLIMATE INJUSTICE: In addition to methane's effects on climate, EPA must also address the broad climate injustice caused by methane pollution. The 12.4 million Americans who live within half a mile of oil and gas operations,are disproportionately people of color who are likely to experience serious health effects from fossil fuel pollution. EPA must step up its game here, and put health ahead of the inconvenience of powerful industries.
Thank you for the steps EPA has taken so far. I look forward to supporting your future work to steeply reduce the role methane plays in the greatest risk facing humankind.