Obama plans to cut US methane emissions by nearly half

The Obama administration has unveiled plans to regulate methane emissions from the country's oil and natural-gas industry by as much as 45 per cent over the next decade.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to propose federal regulations to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40 per cent to 45 percent by 2025 from 2012 levels, White House and agency officials said yesterday.
The move to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, is likley to Climate change is expected to be a major issue of discussion between India and the US during Obama's visit to New Delhi for the Republic Day.

"Making a relatively small adjustment to reducing methane emissions will have an outsized impact on our success in reducing carbon pollution. So that's why this step announced today is an important one," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters after the announcement in this regard as made by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"The regulations that were put forward by the EPA today (Wednesday), this is an important step that the President has outlined in his Climate Action Plan.
"It will be an important part of meeting the commitment that the United States made in the context of the announcement that we made in China last fall that would ensure that the United States reduces our level of carbon pollution by 28 percent by 2025," Earnest said.

However, Republican Senators argued that such move would not only be ineffective but would also make US businesses less competitive unless countries like India, China and Russia take steps to reduce greenhouse gas emission.

Simultaneously, the Republicans - who are now in a majority in the Congress - have introduced a legislation in the US Senate to prohibit any regulation regarding carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions reduction in the US until China, India, and Russia implement similar reductions.
If the preparations in the run-up to the presidential visit of Barack Obama to India during the Republic Day are any indication, climate change is expected to be a major issue of discussion between India and the US.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who had delivered a major speech on climate change on his maiden trip to India as the top American diplomat some 18 months ago, is taking a personal interest on this issue.
Also, last week Republican Senator David Vitter introduced legislation to modify the country's energy production.
The Carbon Tax Resolution he proposes would prohibit the regulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions in the US, until China, India and Russia do the same.
"This would prevent the unilateral increase in the cost of energy to US consumers and businesses while China, India and Russia avoid taking any action," Vitter said in a statement.

Meanwhile Democratic Senator Tom Carper applauded Obama for taking an important step to reduce America's methane emissions, which accounted for nearly 10 per cent of US greenhouse gas emissions in 2012.