Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) today released the following statement following his participation in the inaugural White House Methane Summit:
“I was happy to be invited by the White House to participate in what I call the White House’s ‘Methane Enforcement Day.’ As the author of the original methane fee proposal that was negotiated into the Inflation Reduction Act and passed into law, and as a former federal and state prosecutor, a Methane Enforcement Day is music to my ears. Satellites can now find methane leaks in real time, giving us great opportunities to coordinate government agencies at all levels and rapidly address these leaks. This is vital, as methane has contributed 30% of our existing climate harm, and methane leakage threatens worse outcomes in the future. Then, with a strong U.S. enforcement program, we will have the credibility to argue for stronger international spotlighting and enforcement of methane leaks, which should be our next step.”
Several of the major climate provisions included in the Inflation Reduction Act were developed by Whitehouse or modeled after legislation he authored, including methane reduction program for oil and gas facilities that grew out of the Senator’s methane fee proposal.
At today’s event, the Biden-Harris Administration convened the first-ever White House Methane Summit around the urgent need to dramatically reduce methane emissions, especially from leaks in the oil and gas sector, as a way to protect public health, create good-paying jobs, save consumers money, and advance President Biden’s climate agenda.
Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the first two decades after its release. The oil and gas industry accounts for at least a third of man-made methane emissions. Recent research suggests that methane emissions from oil and natural gas operations are 60 percent higher than previously estimated.
Meaghan McCabe, (202) 224-2921
