In a recent announcement, the Biden administration announced $850 million in federal grants funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to be directed at reducing methane emissions. The funds are available across three categories that include reducing oil well emissions, leaks rooted from engines, and for improving leak monitoring in communities near gas plants located in low income minority communities in fourteen states.
Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offered the grants as an advantage waged at small operators, which would provide them the ability to better adhere to federal emission regulations. Additionally this funding would direct support relationships that improve the emissions measuring process while providing accurate data to citizens.
The attention directed at what McCabe referred to as small operators comes from recent opposition raised by independent domestic operators who have greatly criticized the EPA’s latest methane standards. This group of operators reasons the new standards target hundreds of thousands sources of low-producing wells and saddle them with financial hardship, while also impacting profitability with current methane fees directed at producers.
“This effort will help reduce inefficiencies in the US oil and gas operations will help mitigate legacy air pollution, create new jobs in the energy sector, and in disadvantaged communities, and will help us realize near term emissions reductions and our ambitious climate and clean air goals,” said McCabe.
The country has endured an oppressive heat wave in the recent week. McCabe targeted those elevated temperatures in justifying the administration’s efforts reduce admissions on a large scale.
“Just this week the Northeast is experiencing yet another heat dome [and] and a few weeks ago California was experiencing record-breaking temperature, and we’ve seen heat-related illnesses and deaths spike across the southern United States,” said McCabe while pointing to methane emissions as being “among the most critical actions the United States can take in the short term to slow the rate of climate change. And to protect our nation’s health and communities.”
Although methane trails carbon dioxide in penetrating the atmosphere, it makes up approximately one third of greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, it levies triple the power in comparison to carbon dioxide when trapping heat within the atmosphere. As a member of a group of more than one hundred countries, the United States pledged to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2030. As a result, the Biden administration is searching for any opportunity to drive down numbers and meet climate change goals.
“These investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda will drive the deployment of available and advanced technologies to better understand where the methane emissions are coming from,” said Michael Regan, EPA administrator. “That will help us more effectively reduce harmful pollution, tackle the climate crisis, and create good-paying jobs.”
Nick Vaccaro is a freelance writer and photographer. In addition to providing technical writing services, he is an HSE consultant in the oil and gas industry with twelve years of experience. Vaccaro also contributes to SHALE Oil and Gas Business Magazine, American Oil and Gas Investor, Oil and Gas Investor, Energies Magazine and Louisiana Sportsman Magazine. He has a BA in photojournalism from Loyola University and resides in the New Orleans area. Vaccaro can be reached at 985-966-0957 or nav@vaccarogroupllc.com.
