Valerie Volcovici & Nichola Bride

(Reuters] – Tuesday’s announcement by the Biden administration will reveal a plan that would reduce methane gas emissions in the United States. The strategy includes oil and gas wells and pipelines. This is part of a larger strategy to address climate change.

The U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Plan announcement will be made at the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. This conference is where America, second largest greenhouse gas emitter on the planet, seeks to regain leadership by demonstrating concrete steps to reduce its emissions.

Although President Joe Biden set a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions more than half by 2030, he is having trouble passing major climate legislation through Congress. This makes federal agency policies more important.

His administration will announce Tuesday a proposal to the EPA that would regulate methane spewed from old oil and natural gas operations. Petroleum and natural gas are responsible for about a third methane emission.

The timing is key. “As we speak, leaders from all over the world are gathering in Glasgow right now and are seeking leadership from the United States,” Michael Regan, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency told Reuters about his plan. This proposal is bold, ambitious and complete.

At the Glasgow summit, methane has been the focus of attention. It is second in climate change behind carbon dioxide. Because of its high heat-trapping capacity and short life span in the atmosphere, cutting Methane’s emissions could have a significant impact on climate change.

According to Reuters, the EPA proposal would require oil companies to monitor 300,000.

Regan stated that the rule will have an immediate impact on climate and also help improve air quality in low-income communities of “environmental justice”, who live close to oil and gas production.

Additionally, the EPA proposal requires oil drillers who produce it as a byproduct of drilling to either sell or burn it rather than venting into the atmosphere. It also calls for equipment upgrades such as compressors and pneumatic pumps that reduce leakage.

A supplemental proposal will be released by the agency next year. It would expand on the existing regulatory text, possibly adding additional sources of methane, such as gas flares or abandoned oil and natural gas wells.

According to the summary, the rules will most likely go into effect in 2023. They would reduce methane emissions from oil and natural gas operations by 74% compared to 2005 levels by 2030. This is equivalent to all U.S. passenger vehicles and aircrafts’ 2019 emission.

According to the EPA, companies that have wells emitting more than 3 tonnes of methane annually or more must monitor their sites for any leaks at least quarterly. This threshold was set by the agency in order to capture those sites that are responsible for 86%.

Oil and gas industry organizations had previously asked EPA to exempt smaller wells. This was based on the number of these wells as the cost of monitoring and repairs.

The administration’s methane strategy includes a new proposal by pipeline regulator PHMSA requiring companies to monitor and repair methane leaks on about 400,000 miles of previously unregulated gathering lines. According to senior administration officials, other U.S. agencies are also planning to launch voluntary programs that reduce emissions in industries like agriculture and waste management.

Additionally, new voluntary measures are proposed by the Interior and Agriculture departments in order to combat methane emission from other sources like landfills and abandoned mines and wells.