US Senate votes to restore methane rules for oil and gas sector

US Senate votes to restore methane rules for oil and gas sector

The US Senate has given an important boost to Joe Biden's crackdown on emissions, voting to effectively restore a federal clampdown on methane after it was abandoned by the Trump administration, a move that could open a door for even tougher federal rules.

The resolution would reinstate the Environmental Protection Agency's authority over emissions of the potent greenhouse gas throughout the oil and gas supply system, forcing companies to monitor and fix leaks.

"This is probably one of the most important votes we will have in this chamber in order to forestall and slow the climate catastrophe,“ said Angus King, an independent senator from Maine who typically votes with the Democrats and who co-sponsored the resolution. "Methane is the nuclear weapon of climate change.“

President Biden has pledged to put tackling climate change at the heart of his presidency. Last week he said the US would cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least half from 2005 levels by the end of the decade.

Methane accounted for about 10 per cent of man-made US greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. Yet over a 20-year period, methane has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide, underscoring its importance in the race to avert the worst threats