Obama administration plan will aim to slash methane emissions from - TopicsExpress

Obama administration plan will aim to slash methane emissions from oil and gas production The Obama administration on Wednesday will announce an aggressive new plan to combat global warming by targeting the methane emissions released through oil and gas production, according to a summary of the initiative obtained by the Los Angeles Times. The proposal seeks to cut those emissions -- a major driver of climate change -- by as much as 45 percent by 2025. A White House briefing paper describes methane as a potent greenhouse gas, with 25 times the heat-trapping potential of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period. Methane accounted for nearly 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in 2012, and the amount of the gas released into the atmosphere is projected to rise substantially amid the boom in domestic oil and gas production. Written by Evan Halper, Alaska Dispatch on 14 January 2015. climatechangedispatch/obama-administration-plan-will-aim-to-slash-methane-emissions-from-oil-and-gas-production.html