Isaac Brown, Executive Director of the Center for Methane Emissions Solutions released the following statement in response to EPA’s proposal to regulate methane emissions from new oil and gas sites.

“Every year, America loses nearly $2 billion worth of methane due to faulty equipment or inefficient practices. We cannot afford to waste our natural resources at a time when families are struggling with high home heating prices and the U.S. has made important commitments to our friends in Europe against the backdrop of Russian aggression in Ukraine. The EPA’s  proposed safeguards would reduce methane waste, and the methane mitigation industry stands ready to work with oil and gas companies to quickly implement these new protections and, in the process, create new, good-paying jobs. Particularly important to reducing methane emissions are the provisions that require inspections at small wells with leak-prone equipment as well as abandoned wells until those wells are closed. We are also grateful that provisions to retrofit oil and gas well sites with zero-emission equipment were included. The EPA has also taken a smart and sensible approach to create an onramp for technological innovation that works hand in glove with on-the-ground inspections. However, provisions to address the wasteful practice of routine flaring should be strengthened.”