Schatz, Whitehouse, Colleagues Urge EPA to Take Further Action on Climate Change and cut Methane Emissions

Statement

In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, U.S. Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawai"i), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and 19 other senators are urging the agency to expand its regulation of methane emissions. As a part of the president's Climate Action Plan, the EPA has begun to address industrial sources of methane, but not all sources of the gas are currently included in the final rule.

The senators wrote, "Your agency has been clear that in order to achieve its methane goals, additional action will be necessary. This is backed by studies that have shown that almost 90 percent of projected emissions in 2018 will come from oil production and existing natural gas production. In order to achieve our international commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, we simply must address existing sources of methane emissions."

Methane's effect on climate change is up to 34 times greater than that of CO2. To address these emissions and reduce the climate footprint of these industries, the president committed to cut methane emissions by 40-45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025 through both voluntary measures and agency rulemakings. To meet this target, more action is needed.

Source