New Energy Vision Report Offers Roadmap for Cutting U.S. Methane Emissions 30% by 2030
The non-profit Energy Vision has published its report, “Meeting the Methane Challenge: How the U.S. Can Reach Its 2030 Goal.” The title refers to the Global Methane Pledge, which commits the U.S. and 154 other signatories to the goal of cutting methane emissions at least 30% by 2030 (or “30x30” for short) to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius and prevent the worst effects of “runaway” climate change. Methane is 87 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over 20 years, and it has already caused a third of modern global warming.
On May 7, EPA’s New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for oil and gas production took effect, tightening methane regulations across millions of pieces of equipment. Energy Vision’s report assesses NSPS and a range of other current and potential measures to cut methane emissions in the U.S. oil and gas sector, such as plugging abandoned oil and gas wells and “stripper wells,” which produce very little oil and gas but collectively have high methane emissions. Of these various oil and gas measures, NSPS has the greatest potential impact, the report finds. According Energy Vision’s analysis, if fully implemented by 2029, the NSPS would cut U.S. methane emissions by 17.5%.