The Biden administration’s first foray into reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations, released in November 2021, promised to reduce emissions from hundreds of thousands of existing sites, expand and strengthen emission-reduction requirements, and encourage the use of new technologies. It was clear about one other thing too, namely that more was already in the works. And sure enough, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently followed up with a proposal that significantly broadens the initial plan. In today’s RBN blog we look at that supplemental proposal, its targeting of so-called “super-emitters,” and why third-party groups will play a bigger role in mitigating methane emissions in the years ahead.
We have written extensively about greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions over the past few years. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has often been the focus, but methane is also an important part of those discussions because it’s a particularly powerful GHG, with a Global Warming Potential (GWP) that is 25-36 times that of CO2 when normalized to a 100-year timeline. (And more than 80 times that of CO2 if normalized to a 20-year timeline.) A tricky part of the problem is that the actual level (and sources) of methane emissions can be hard to accurately identify and quantify, mostly because estimates can vary greatly depending on how they’re calculated, as we discussed in Part 1 of this series.
In Part 2, we detailed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP), which includes the federal government’s first penalty on GHG emissions of any kind, starting at $900 per metric ton (MT), or about $17/MMBtu, beginning in 2024 and ramping up to $1,500/MT (~$29/MMBtu) in 2026. The multifaceted approach to regulation utilized by the U.S. to combat methane emissions, through the IRA and other measures, was the focus of Part 3. Notably, the methane emissions tax under MERP is intended to work with or without new EPA rules.
Join Backstage Pass to Read Full Article
About the song
“Cover Me” was written by Bruce Springsteen and appears as the second song on side one of Springsteen’s seventh studio album, Born in the USA. Released as a single in July 1984, the song went to #2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock and #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles charts. It has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The song was recorded at the Hit Factory in New York City in January 1982. Springsteen had originally written “Cover Me” for Donna Summer, but his manager, Jon Landau, decided to keep the song for Springsteen’s Born in the USA album because of its hit potential. Personnel on the album were: Bruce Springsteen (lead vocals, lead guitar, acoustic guitar), Roy Bittan (piano, synthesizer, backing vocals), Clarence Clemons (sax, percussion, backing vocals), Danny Federici (organ), Garry Tallent (bass, backing vocals), Steven Van Zandt (rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals), Max Weinberg (drums, backing vocals), and Richie Rosenberg (backing vocals).
Born in the USA was recorded between January 1982 and March 1984 at The Hit Factory and Record Plant in New York City. Produced by Jon Landau, Chuck Plotkin, Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt, the album was released in June 1984. It remains Springsteen's biggest-selling album with sales of over 30 million copies worldwide. Recorded with the E Street Band, the album went to #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart and has been certified 15x Platinum by the RIAA. Seven singles were released from the LP.
Bruce Springsteen is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician. Nicknamed “The Boss,” he is known for his song lyrics and high-energy concerts, some that have lasted over four hours. He has released 21 studio albums, 23 live albums, eight compilation albums, one soundtrack album, seven EPs, and 77 singles, most of which feature his E Street Band. He has sold more than 140 million records worldwide. He has won one Academy Award, two Golden Globes, 20 Grammy Awards, and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has received Kennedy Center Honors, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the National Medal of Arts. Springsteen continues to record and begins an extensive international tour with his E Street Band on April 28 in Barcelona, Spain.
