The Democrats’ long-sought tax and energy legislation finally passed by the Senate is a critical breakthrough in America’s effort to meaningfully reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. That’s the good news. More worrisome is what the bill fails to do to limit fugitive methane from oil and gas production.
The legislation would levy fees on producers that fail to plug leaks in drilling operations and pipelines. But this provision contains a dangerous loophole: Any methane leaking from operations that otherwise comply with pending regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency are to be exempt. Unfortunately, the EPA’s proposed rules allow enormous volumes of fugitive methane.
The loophole is especially frustrating because methane is the greenhouse gas most in need of immediate restriction. Stopping leaks and flares of this potent gas from oil and gas fields would, in fact, be the biggest, fastest and cheapest action the U.S. could take to protect the climate — because its effects would kick in almost immediately.
