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| … JUST PASSING THROUGH … |
Obama demands massive reduction in methane emissions … and all new and existing sources of methane pollution
It is no surprise the consumption of beef is the highest in the USA, so what impact with Obama's methane emissions policy have on McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King and other fast food not to mention the family food budget.
President Obama on Wednesday put forth long-awaited regulations on methane emissions, setting an ambitious goal of reducing those emissions by 45 percent over the next decade and again drawing the ire of many in the energy industry.
The move comes just days before the State of the Union address and underscores that, in the final two years of presidency, Mr. Obama is looking to cement his legacy on climate-change and environmental issues.
FARM ANIMALS TARGETED ALONG WITH OTHER BIO-EMISSIONS, PLUS SOME OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL INDUSTRIES
Having already targeted power-plant emissions, auto fuel efficiency and other bio-hazard farming areas, Wednesday’s announcement will directly impact the growing methane emissions and pollution sources, one of the greatest economic success stories of the past decade.
GLOBAL WARMING AND OTHER FAIRY TALES
Methane, a significant component of digestion of farm animals and main component of natural gas, accelerates climate change even more than carbon dioxide, administration officials said Wednesday.
HEAT YOUR HOUSE WITH A COW
“The U.S. is largest consumers of beef in the world and now the largest oil-and-gas producer in the world, providing an abundant source of energy to power and heat American homes and businesses,” White House energy and climate change adviser Dan Utech told reporters Wednesday morning. “At the same time, methane … is a potent greenhouse gas with 25 times the heat-trapping potential of carbon dioxide.”
Even though methane emissions are down 16 percent since 1990, the White House says they might rise over the next 10 years unless dramatic actions are taken. Under the plan laid out by the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, the oil-and-gas sector must reduce methane emissions by 40 to 45 percent by 2025.
“This strategy will benefit the climate, the economy and public health,” Mr. Utech said.
But some energy analysts say the White House is cracking down on the oil-and-gas industry with little justification, failing to take into account that the sector has substantially reduced methane emissions without a federal mandate.
“EPA’s proposed methane regulation is redundant, costly and unnecessary. Energy producers are already reducing methane emissions because methane is a valuable commodity. It would be like issuing regulations forcing ice cream makers to spill less ice cream,” said Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, a frequent critic of the administration’s environmental and climate-change agenda. “The Obama administration’s latest attack on American energy reaffirms that their agenda is not about the climate at all. It’s about driving up the cost of producing and using natural gas, oil and coal in America.”
“The natural gas industry has demonstrated its ability to significantly reduce methane emissions and our commitment to making further reductions through innovation. Natural gas production is up 37 percent since 1990, yet across the entire natural gas sector methane emissions are down 17 percent,” he said.
The proposed regulations — which will be formally unveiled later this year and are expected to be finalized in 2016 — will apply only to new and modified oil-and-gas production sources.
Environmental groups praised the move but said the administration should have gone even further by targeting existing sources of methane emissions.
“We cannot afford to wait. Regulating methane directly is a critical step, but [the federal government] must act quickly to reduce methane emissions from all new and existing sources of methane pollution in the oil and gas sector, including the transmission and distribution of natural gas,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club.
GLOBAL WARMING AND OTHER FAIRY TALES
Methane, a significant component of digestion of farm animals and main component of natural gas, accelerates climate change even more than carbon dioxide, administration officials said Wednesday.
HEAT YOUR HOUSE WITH A COW
“The U.S. is largest consumers of beef in the world and now the largest oil-and-gas producer in the world, providing an abundant source of energy to power and heat American homes and businesses,” White House energy and climate change adviser Dan Utech told reporters Wednesday morning. “At the same time, methane … is a potent greenhouse gas with 25 times the heat-trapping potential of carbon dioxide.”
Even though methane emissions are down 16 percent since 1990, the White House says they might rise over the next 10 years unless dramatic actions are taken. Under the plan laid out by the Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday, the oil-and-gas sector must reduce methane emissions by 40 to 45 percent by 2025.
“This strategy will benefit the climate, the economy and public health,” Mr. Utech said.
But some energy analysts say the White House is cracking down on the oil-and-gas industry with little justification, failing to take into account that the sector has substantially reduced methane emissions without a federal mandate.
“EPA’s proposed methane regulation is redundant, costly and unnecessary. Energy producers are already reducing methane emissions because methane is a valuable commodity. It would be like issuing regulations forcing ice cream makers to spill less ice cream,” said Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, a frequent critic of the administration’s environmental and climate-change agenda. “The Obama administration’s latest attack on American energy reaffirms that their agenda is not about the climate at all. It’s about driving up the cost of producing and using natural gas, oil and coal in America.”
“The natural gas industry has demonstrated its ability to significantly reduce methane emissions and our commitment to making further reductions through innovation. Natural gas production is up 37 percent since 1990, yet across the entire natural gas sector methane emissions are down 17 percent,” he said.
The proposed regulations — which will be formally unveiled later this year and are expected to be finalized in 2016 — will apply only to new and modified oil-and-gas production sources.
Environmental groups praised the move but said the administration should have gone even further by targeting existing sources of methane emissions.
“We cannot afford to wait. Regulating methane directly is a critical step, but [the federal government] must act quickly to reduce methane emissions from all new and existing sources of methane pollution in the oil and gas sector, including the transmission and distribution of natural gas,” said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club.
