US oil and gas companies can now net methane emissions across sites to avoid new charges
What happened
US environmental regulators just released rules for how oil and gas companies can avoid new charges on methane emissions. Companies can now combine emissions from multiple sites, meaning they only pay if their total emissions exceed a set limit.
Why it matters
The US government wants to cut methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. These new rules mean companies can clean up some sites while letting others continue to leak, as long as the total stays below the threshold. This could make it cheaper for companies to comply, but it also means some leaky sites might not get fixed.
The signal
Watch whether companies use this netting rule to avoid upgrading their leakiest sites, or if it genuinely drives down overall methane emissions across their operations.