The Biden administrationʼs final push for climate action is happening right now - theyʼve just rolled-out new methane rules at the UN climate meeting in Baku
The fresh-made policy hits big-time oil producers where it hurts: their wallets. Starting next month companies will pay $900 for each ton of excess methane (thats going up to $1500 in about two years) if they emit more than 25‚000 tons yearly
Michael Regan from EPA says this is part of their work to make oil companies more eco-friendly and keep Americas spot as a climate leader; however the rules might not stick around long. The soon-to-be Trump White House and its oil-industry friends dont like these kinds of fees
Hereʼs what the new rules can do:
- Cut down methane leaks from drilling spots
- Make companies fix their broken pipes faster
- Help reach global climate promises
- Push companies to use better leak-finding tech
The EPA thinks these changes could stop as much methane as taking 8 million cars off roads would do through early-2030s. But Donald Trump and his team are already planning to throw these rules out when they take over the White House
The timing isnt random - this comes right as 100+ countries work on their promise to cut methane by 30% before the decades end. Even China and the U.S made some deals about it