Summary

The Inventory of the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks indicates that natural gas and petroleum systems are the largest industrial source of methane emissions in the United States. In 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final environmental regulation that is slated to sharply reduce methane emissions and other harmful air pollution from oil and natural gas operations, including from existing sources nationwide. The rule is expected to reduce methane emissions by nearly 80% of what they would have been without the rule. It is also estimated to reduce 58 million tons of methane emissions from 2024 to 2038 and avoid 16 million tons of smog-forming volatile organic compound emissions and 590,000 tons of air toxics.

Partners

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA)