The Obama administration plans to require the oil and gas industry to cut methane emissions from the drilling and transportation of fossil fuels by as much as 45 percent over the next decade, another step in its efforts to curb greenhouse gases tied to climate change.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will unveil its plans as soon as Wednesday, according to people familiar with the deliberations. The EPA will seek methane cuts from the industry of 40 percent to 45 percent by 2025 compared with 2012 levels, according to an administration official not authorized to speak publicly.
The proposal would be a victory for environmental groups that have lobbied the administration to force the industry to directly target methane, the second-most-prevalent gas tied to climate change, after carbon dioxide. The gas seeps from wells and the compressors, pumps, pipes and storage tanks that make up the oil and gas production and distribution network.