Methane from Oil and Gas: Low-hanging Fruit that EPA Must Pick

The Clean Air Task Force criticizes a proposed EPA update to air emissions limits for the oil and natural gas industry, stating that while the rules make progress, they fail to directly regulate methane. The author asserts that the industry is the largest man-made source of methane in the US and that cost-effective measures to stop leaks and dumping could provide climate benefits equivalent to retiring hundreds of coal-fired generators while saving the industry over $30 million annually.

• The EPA's proposed updates to air emissions limits for the oil and natural gas industry do not directly regulate methane emissions from new or existing sources, treating methane reduction only as a co-benefit of regulating other pollutants.
• The oil and natural gas industry is the primary source of anthropogenic methane pollution in the United States.
• Implementing cost-effective measures to prevent intentional dumping and leaks could eliminate half of the industry's methane emissions, offering a climate benefit comparable to the retirement of hundreds of coal-fired power plants.
• Capturing fugitive methane would be economically beneficial, with EPA analysis indicating potential industry savings of more than $30 million per year.

APA

McCabe, D. (2011). Methane from Oil and Gas: Low-hanging Fruit that EPA Must Pick. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/2011/12/methane-from-oil-and-gas-low-hanging-fruit-that-epa-must-pick/

Chicago

McCabe, David. Methane from Oil and Gas: Low-hanging Fruit that EPA Must Pick. Clean Air Task Force, 2011. https://www.catf.us/2011/12/methane-from-oil-and-gas-low-hanging-fruit-that-epa-must-pick/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=McCabe |first1=David |title=Methane from Oil and Gas: Low-hanging Fruit that EPA Must Pick |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=5 December 2011 |url=https://www.catf.us/2011/12/methane-from-oil-and-gas-low-hanging-fruit-that-epa-must-pick/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mccabe2011methane, author = {McCabe, David}, title = {{Methane from Oil and Gas: Low-hanging Fruit that EPA Must Pick}}, publisher = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2011}, month = dec, url = {https://www.catf.us/2011/12/methane-from-oil-and-gas-low-hanging-fruit-that-epa-must-pick/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }