Methane Clips: May 17, 2022
General News
Community Methane Monitoring Fills Gaps Left By EPA. According to E&E News, “When EPA issues its supplemental draft rule on methane later this year, it’s expected to propose a new role for air quality monitoring by nonprofits and fence-line communities sited near oil and gas development. The agency’s first draft of the methane rule, released in November, solicited ideas on how EPA could leverage a recent boom in monitoring conducted by communities, independent scientists and nonprofits to find and fix leaks more swiftly (Climatewire, Nov. 11, 2021). Agency officials have said the goal is to empower fence-line communities that live in the shadow of oil and gas development and may be affected by its pollution (Climatewire, Dec. 23, 2021). But in comments posted to the rule’s docket last winter, the petroleum industry questioned whether EPA has the authority under the Clean Air Act — the law it uses the regulate emissions linked to climate change — to lean on third-party monitoring when implementing a rule. And community-based groups say EPA should furnish the technology they need to conduct air quality monitoring — or at least subsidize it. That’s especially important, they say, if the goal is to catch and fix leaks in poor neighborhoods as well as rich ones and to guarantee access to high-quality data.” [E&E News, 5/17/22 (=)]
AP | In US, States Struggle To Replace Fossil Fuel Tax Revenue. According to The Washington Post, “Government budgets are booming in New Mexico: Teacher salaries are up, residents can go to an in-state college tuition-free, moms will get medical care for a year after childbirth, and criminal justice initiatives are being funded to reduce urban violence. The reason behind the spending spree — oil. New Mexico is the No. 2 crude oil producer among U.S. states and the top recipient of U.S. disbursements for fossil fuel production on federal land. But a budget flush with petroleum cash has a side effect: It also puts the spotlight on how difficult it is to turn state rhetoric on tackling climate change into reality. [...]At the same time, legislators balked this year at climate initiatives that might restrain petroleum production. They rejected a bill to limit climate-warming pollution in the production and distribution of transportation fuels, a step taken by West Coast states. New Mexico also shunned a state constitutional amendment for the right to clean air. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, up for reelection in November, said her administration is working to contain oilfield methane pollution and diversify the economy. New mandates call for electricity production from solar, wind and other renewable sources. But she has cautioned the federal government against significant restrictions on oil exploration and production, still the lifeblood of the state budget. ‘We can work very effectively with oil and gas producers to both meet clean energy standards ... while still managing pretty incredible exploration of fossil fuels to meet the current energy demands of the world,’ the governor said in April.” [Washington Post, 5/16/22 (=)]
Policymakers Underestimate Methane's Climate And Air Quality Impacts. According to Science Daily, “ Methane emissions have been increasing rapidly in recent years, contributing significantly to global warming. Despite this, methane is not adequately treated within existing national and international governance frameworks. Researchers at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam highlight the urgent need for action in a new study. Under the Paris Agreement, the effect of greenhouse gases, including methane, is expressed in terms of ‘CO2 equivalents,’ a unit that reflects their warming effect over a period of 100 years. The researchers argue in the study that this approach both fails to adequately represent the climate impact of methane and neglects its impacts on human health and ecosystems. ‘Governing methane based on assigning it a ‘CO2 equivalence’ means that only its climate impact on a 100-year timescale is robustly taken into account -- including within carbon pricing schemes, for example. This neglects methane’s critically important role in near-term climate -- over the course of the next 20 years -- during which time methane’s warming impact is roughly 80 times greater than that of CO2. Methane’s short atmospheric lifetime means that efforts to reduce emissions can rapidly reduce atmospheric concentrations and, as a consequence, global warming,’ says the study’s lead author, IASS research group leader Kathleen Mar. In addition, the Paris Agreement and other governance frameworks do not sufficiently consider methane’s contribution to air pollution.” [Science Daily, 5/16/22 (=)]
International
Bloomberg | E.U. Methane Rules Risk Being Watered Down, Groups Say. According to E&E News, “European Union efforts to tackle climate-warming methane emissions are being undermined by energy companies that say the measures are too expensive, according to climate nonprofit groups. The bloc’s proposed rules to curtail leaks of one of the most powerful greenhouse gases are under threat of being diluted in negotiations between member states, the Clean Air Task Force, the Environmental Defense Fund and seven other nongovernmental groups warned in a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron. France currently holds the E.U.’s rotating presidency. The concern is that energy companies see requirements for leak detection and repair as too difficult and costly to implement and should be primarily focused on older facilities. The NGOs also criticize member states for not yet addressing the methane emissions embedded within the E.U.’s imports during the negotiations. Under the Commission proposal, importers will have to provide information on how they measure and mitigate emissions. The bloc will review the import rules by 2025. There has been ‘a strong and concerted effort by companies to water down the proposal,’ the climate pressure groups wrote.” [E&E News, 5/17/22 (=)]
