The Biden administration recently proposed regulations aimed at curbing methane emissions from the biggest contributors of the gas, responsible for 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the White House announcement, the U.S. Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan is a “whole-of-government initiative that uses all available tools—commonsense regulations, catalytic financial incentives, transparency and disclosure of actionable data, and public and private partnerships—to identify and cost-effectively reduce methane emissions from all major sources.”
The regulations proposed in the plan are largely focused on the oil and gas sector—which is the largest industrial source of methane emissions, at 30 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The action plan also seeks to reduce methane emissions from landfills, agriculture and coal mining.
Oil and gas
EPA, under the Clean Air Act, would update and strengthen current requirements for new wells in addition to first-time regulations for old ones. This will be the first such rule covering methane emissions from existing sources in the oil and gas sector. The EPA proposal also includes guidelines for states to follow in their programs to reduce emissions from existing oil and gas facilities.
The rules would mandate what the EPA calls “a comprehensive monitoring program to require companies to find and fix leaks” across operations, including wells, pipes and storage tanks.
The action plan directs the Department of the Interior (DOI) to discourage excessive venting or flaring of gas by requiring oil and gas operators to pay royalties to the federal government for vented or flared gas on public lands and oceans. According to the action plan, approximately 150 billion cubic feet of methane were flared from operations that would be subject to regulation—more than the entire yearly natural gas consumption of residential consumers in the state of Wisconsin.
The Department of Transportation will also be proposing a rule next year to strengthen liquified natural gas facilities standards.
“With this historic action, EPA is addressing existing sources from the oil and natural gas industry nationwide, in addition to updating rules for new sources, to ensure robust and lasting cuts in pollution across the country,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement. The American Petroleum Institute said it is reviewing the proposed regulations, and it “will continue working with the agency to help shape a final rule that is effective, feasible and designed to encourage further innovation.”
The EPA estimates the proposed regulations would reduce methane emissions by approximately 75 percent by 2030. It also noted the actions would reduce the prevalence of toxic and smog-forming compounds.
Landfills
An estimated 30-40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. is lost or wasted and makes up 24 percent of the material in landfills. As it decomposes, food waste generates large quantities of methane emissions that are not being fully captured.
The EPA also has authority under the Clean Air Act to reduce methane emissions from landfills, accounting for 17 percent of overall U.S. methane emissions—the second-largest industrial source. The EPA will offer support for the development of landfill gas projects through incentives and technical assistance. The EPA, along with USDA and the Food and Drug Administration, will work toward reducing food waste by 50 percent by 2030.
Abandoned mines
As part of the Build Back Better plan, Congress appropriated $11.3 billion for the Abandoned Mine Land (AML) grant program on top of the DOI’s existing $8 billion grant program. AML would assist remediation efforts from leaking, abandoned coal mines and “prioritize grants to reclamation projects that employ dislocated energy workers, and encourage meaningful engagement with communities about projects.”
Agriculture
While the above measures are mandatory, proposals for methane emissions from agriculture are on a voluntary basis.
The proposals follow up on an executive order from President Joe Biden calling on USDA to work with producers to “identify voluntary, incentive-based approaches that will advance climate goals.”
In response, USDA is proposing multiple ways to reduce methane emissions, including “the adoption of alternative manure management systems and other methane-reducing practices; the expansion of on-farm generation and use of renewable energy; the development of a climate-smart agricultural commodities partnership initiative; and increased investments in agricultural methane quantification and related innovations.”
Through incentives and technical assistance from Farm Bill programs, the plan calls for upgrading existing anaerobic lagoons by installing covers and collecting methane for use or destruction, installing anaerobic methane digesters that collect methane, and installing solid separators that reduce methane-producing slurries.
The action plan would provide conservation assistance for transitions to alternative manure management systems, such as deep pits, composting, transitions to pasture or other practices. Lastly, it would support rice management that reduces methane emissions, such as alternate wetting and drying.
USDA announced the launch of the Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Initiative to establish new markets for agricultural commodities based on the climate benefits of agricultural products. The initiative connects companies and retailers with producers implementing climate-smart agricultural practices, including practices that reduce methane emissions.
USDA will be launching a new public-private partnership to promote biogas policies, programs and research by establishing an interagency biogas task force, expanding the AgSTAR program to develop educational materials and identifying barriers to developing biogas recovery systems.
Lastly, the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture will continue to invest in manure management and methane-related research and extension projects. These include offering competitively funded grants on a wide range of topics, including manure management, feed formulation or use of alternative feedstuffs, rumen microbiology, and managing emissions in various animal production systems.
USDA will continue to work collaboratively with the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Dairy Management Inc. to improve the environmental footprint of the dairy industry, particularly concerning reducing methane emissions. USDA just announced the Pathways to Dairy Net Zero, an initiative to help accelerate climate action in the global dairy sector to achieve net-zero emissions in the next 30 years.
“Livestock, including dairy, can provide critical climate solutions,” USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “Sustainably managed livestock systems play an important role globally in food and nutrition security, livelihoods and nutrient cycling and carbon storage. Increasing the rate of adoption of feed management, manure management and digesters will be key to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including methane.”
Conservation groups called the voluntary programs for agriculture a “free pass,” as the industry contributes 9.6 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to EPA, and about 36 percent of methane emissions.
“President Biden’s methane plan fails to tackle the number one source of methane emissions in the United States: animal agriculture,” said Chloл Waterman, senior program manager at Friends of the Earth, in a statement. “The (EPA) has the authority to limit methane from industrial dairy and hog operations under the Clean Air Act. Instead, Biden’s plan relies on minimal, voluntary measures to curb methane emissions from agriculture.”
The announcement comes on the heels of the announcement by the Biden administration and the European Union for a Global Methane Pledge, which seeks to reduce methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. More than 100 countries, including half of the top methane-emitting countries, have signed on to the pledge. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
