Congress aims to eliminate methane fee that would hold large polluters accountable and protect public health
WASHINGTON – Congress introduced a resolution to eliminate the regulation implementing the waste emissions charge – a commonsense, effective policy that charges a fee only to operators that both exceed industry-aligned thresholds and are out of compliance with EPA methane standards. The charge has been part of the United States’ world-leading approach to capturing methane that would otherwise be wasted.
“We are disappointed in Congress’ misguided attempt to get rid of the waste emissions charge. Both the waste emissions charge and the Methane Emissions Reduction Program as a whole are important pieces that will create high-quality jobs while providing energy security by reducing the waste of natural gas,” said Reece Rushing, U.S. Federal Policy Director at Clean Air Task Force (CATF). “Methane reduction and mitigation has been met with wide bipartisan support for its benefits to public health and the climate, and we call on Congress to reject this attempt to get rid of a critical tool to achieve those benefits.”
As laid out by the waste emissions charge, owners or oil and gas operators that report to the greenhouse gas reporting program must pay a fee for methane emissions that exceed thresholds that were set by Congress and based off targets set by industry. Additionally, operators are exempted from the charge once they are in compliance with EPA’s recently finalized methane rule.
“If Congress were to take this action, it would be a short sighted one at best, ignoring the fact that the world is headed towards a global gas market that places a value on gas with low methane intensity. Having a waste emissions charge in combination with the waste emissions reduction program demonstrates to our trading partners our commitment to reduce methane emissions,” said Jonathan Banks, Global Director for Methane Pollution Prevention at CATF.
Press Contact
Samantha Sadowski, Communications Manager, U.S., ssadowski@catf.us, +1 202-440-1717
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
