CATF applauds EPA’s stronger emissions reporting requirements for oil and gas operators
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized its updated greenhouse gas reporting rule for oil and gas operations, strengthening reporting requirements for methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) from this highly polluting industry.
“Oil and gas companies have been underestimating their emissions for far too long. Today’s changes will put us on a path to more accurate data that illustrates the true magnitude of the industry’s methane and CO2 pollution,” said Lesley Feldman, Research and Analysis Manager at Clean Air Task Force (CATF). “Reducing methane emissions is the best strategy to slow global warming in the short term and achieve air quality and public health benefits, and this update will help us understand the sector’s actual emissions. The reported emissions from this sector have long been underestimated due to the failure to account for super-emitters. This rule finalizes requirements so operators must account for these large emission events, patching an important hole in the existing requirements. But the work is not done. EPA must now ensure that reports adhere to the final rule’s requirements to accurately reflect annual methane and CO2 emissions from reporting facilities.”
In addition to providing transparency about the oil and gas sector’s climate pollution, the updated reporting requirements are also a critical component of the Waste Emissions Charge established under the Methane Emissions Reduction Program in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The Waste Emissions Charge requires oil and gas operators to clean up methane emissions or pay a charge for their excess pollution, and Congress directed EPA to update the industry’s reporting requirements under the greenhouse gas reporting program to strengthen the calculations associated with the charge. The updated rules EPA finalized today will help ensure that operators pay their fair share.
Contatto con la stampa
Samantha Sadowski, responsabile delle comunicazioni, Stati Uniti, ssadowski@catf.us, +1 202-440-1717
Circa Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
