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 that would curb the methane that leaks from facilities related to oil and natural gas production. Methane is one of the greenhouse gases that trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere.


Overall, the administration aims to cut emissions from oil and gas production by up to 45 percent over the next decade when compared with 2012 levels. Tuesday's proposals from the Environmental Protection Agency would apply to new natural gas wells, and also require producers to fix leaks in equipment such as pipelines and pumps and other equipment used to transport methane.

NPR's Jeff Brady tells our Newscast unit:

The EPA's move was not out of the blue. The White House forecast that it would be making changes in January. In the summary of the proposal, citing its own 2009 study, the EPA in its rule said:


Methane's tendency to leak during oil and gas production makes it a prime target for groups that raise concerns about climate change. Although as NPR's 

 out earlier this year, the federal government estimates the leaks are just a small fraction, about 2 percent, of what comes out of the ground.
The 

 reports the new rules won't be received by the oil and gas industry uniformly.


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Brakkton Booker

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The standards would apply to new oil and natural gas production and require companies to fix equipment and practices that allow methane to leak.

EPA rules aim to slash oil industry methane emissions

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