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Last Friday, the Biden administration announced a proposed rule that would require oil and gas companies to pay a fee for emitting methane, the second-most-abundant greenhouse gas behind carbon dioxide. Methane is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere in the short term and is responsible for approximately one-third of the warming from greenhouse gases occurring today.
The rule, announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), would charge large energy producers a fee of $900 for every ton of methane emissions that exceed emissions intensity levels set by Congress starting in 2024. The fee would increase to $1,200 in 2025, and $1,500 for 2026 and beyond. Known as the Waste Emissions Charge, this fee would represent the first time oil and gas companies would have to pay for emitting methane.
The Waste Emissions Charge was approved by Congress as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and this announcement is the latest in the Biden administration's ongoing efforts to reduce methane emissions—last month, the EPA announced it would require oil and gas companies to detect and fix methane leaks in wells and pipelines, and would mostly ban the practice of flaring except in emergencies. Additionally, using resources from the IRA, Congress has authorized $1 billion to help companies repair leaks and improve their methane monitoring technologies.
New podcast episode: The private land piece of the 30×30 puzzle
In the latest episode of The Landscape Podcast, Kate and Aaron are joined by Tony Caligiuri, president and CEO of Colorado Open Lands, a nonprofit land trust that exists to protect Colorado’s land and water resources. Colorado Open Lands works primarily with private landowners to place voluntary agreements called conservation easements on their property. Tony talks about how private land and water conservation works, as well as the vital role it plays in the national effort to protect 30 percent of U.S. land and water by 2030.
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Our relatives, the Havasupai, Hualapai and other Tribes along the Colorado River, are bracing themselves for renewed anxiety, worry and constant unease about the safety of their resources and homelands.”
