EPA aims to slash the oil industry's climate-warming methane pollution

https://www.npr.org/2023/12/02/ [login to see] /epa-aims-to-slash-the-oil-industrys-climate-warming-methane-pollution
The oil industry has long leaked methane into the atmosphere, contributing to the greenhouse gasses that are warming the planet. Now, new federal rules aim to dramatically reduce that pollution in the next 15 years.

The Biden administration has issued strict new regulations to reduce methane from oil and gas industry operations. The announcement from the Environmental Protection Agency comes as world leaders are in Dubai for the annual United Nations climate meeting, where controlling methane is a big focus.

Methane is the main ingredient in natural gas. It stays in the atmosphere for a shorter time than carbon dioxide – the most abundant greenhouse gas from humans. But methane is a much more potent climate-warming gas. Research shows that even small amounts of methane escaping into the atmosphere can equal the climate-warming effects of burning coal.