Interior Department rule aims to crack down on methane leaks from oil, gas drilling on public lands

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration issued a final rule Wednesday aimed at curbing methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on federal and tribal lands, its latest action to crack down on emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes significantly to global warming.

The rule issued by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management will tighten limits on gas flaring on federal lands and require that energy companies improve methods to detect methane leaks that add to planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution.

The action follows a more comprehensive methane-reduction plan announced by the Environmental Protection Agency in December. The plan, announced at a global climate conference in the United Arab Emirates, targets emissions from existing oil and gas wells nationwide, rather than focusing only on new wells, as previous EPA regulations have done. It also regulates smaller wells that are now required to find and plug methane leaks.

Oil and gas production is the nation’s largest industrial source of methane, the primary component of natural gas, and is a key target for Biden as his administration seeks to combat climate change.

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The rule issued Wednesday updates regulations that are more than 40 years old and will hold oil and gas companies accountable by requiring measures to avoid wasteful practices and