WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy recently announced a Notice of Intent aimed at making funds available for the measurement and reduction of methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors.
According to the EPA, the funding would come from President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act and could help oil and natural gas sector operators cut methane emissions and transition to innovative methane emission reduction technologies.
The funding is also reportedly meant to aid in supporting partnerships that work to improve emissions measurement and provide accurate, transparent data to impacted communities.
Emissions Funding
The release explains that methane is a climate super pollutant, more potent than carbon dioxide and responsible for around one third of the warming from greenhouse gases being emitted.
Through a combination of technical and financial assistance, the Methane Emissions Reduction Program aims to aid in reducing inefficiencies in oil and gas operations, creating new jobs in energy and disadvantaged communities, improving public health and acting on near-term emission reductions.
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| Anne Nygard / Unsplash |
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy recently announced a Notice of Intent aimed at making funds available for the measurement and reduction of methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors. |
“We know the adoption of cleaner and smarter ways to monitor and reduce wasteful methane emissions is critical to addressing climate change,” said Jennifer Macedonia, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Office of Air and Radiation.
“Through these historic investments from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, EPA and DOE will invest in American innovation and contribute to the Biden-Harris Administration’s ambitious goal of reducing climate pollution while improving public health and protecting communities.”
If released, the funding opportunity would reportedly focus on three areas:
“As part of a whole of government approach, DOE and EPA are coordinating our efforts to address methane emissions throughout the oil and natural gas supply chain,” said Ryan Peay, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Resource Sustainability in DOE's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.
“Together we are supporting innovative solutions that will address these harmful emissions at a large scale across the nation, while also developing region-specific assistance that will result in environmental, health, and safety benefits for local communities.”
In keeping with the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal to promote the clean energy transition benefits, this program also hopes to advance the Justice40 Initiative. This initiative has set the goal for 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal climate and clean energy investments to flow to disadvantaged communities and to create broader energy prosperity.
Guidance on specific application and reporting requirements will reportedly be included in the program funding opportunity announcement.
Previous Actions
In December 2023, the EPA and the DOE released a new conditional commitment to help measure and reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector.
According to a release from the EPA, 14 states were set to receive a total of $350 million in formula grant funding to aid in efforts that cut methane emissions from wells on nonfederal lands, as well as supported the restoration of well sites.
The funding was reportedly made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act.
Through these investments, the Methane Emissions Reduction Program reportedly aimed to help reduce waste, create new jobs in energy communities and produce near-term emission reductions.
The release stated that monitoring and mitigating methane emissions from the oil and gas sector can benefit energy communities, including low-income and communities of color. These actions may also promote long-lasting health and environmental benefits across the country, the release added.
This commitment reportedly helped the Biden-Harris Administration’s environmental justice agenda through the Justice40 Initiative, setting the goal for 40% of the overall benefits of certain covered Federal investments to go towards disadvantaged or Justice40 communities.
According to the EPA, once all legal and administrative requirements were complete, funding from the Methane Emissions Reduction Program was expected to dole out a combination of technical and financial assistance to states.
This aid was expected to help well owners and operators find and cut out methane emissions from low-producing conventional oil and gas wells with disproportionately high methane emissions.
Some of the state agencies that were reportedly given conditional funding commitments based on the proportion of the total number of low-producing conventional wells in participating states on nonfederal lands, included:
These conditional commitments for grant funding were reportedly the first in a series of funding opportunities through the Inflation Reduction Act.
In 2024, EPA and DOE reportedly planned to make more competitive solicitations available to a larger range of applicants to progress the deployment of technologies and practices to monitor and reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gases.
Tagged categories: Air pollution control; Air quality; Emissions; Environmental Controls; Environmental Protection; Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Funding; Gas detectors; Government; Grants; Greenhouse gas; Health & Safety; Health and safety; Oil and Gas; President Biden; Program/Project Management; Safety; U.S. Department of Energy; VOC emissions
