Methane Waste Prevention Act of 2019
This bill addresses methane emissions from oil and gas operations. (Methane is emitted during the production and transport of coal, natural gas, and oil.)
The bill provides statutory authority for the Environmental Protection Agency rule titled Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources, published on June 3, 2016.
The bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish specified requirements for
- reducing and preventing the waste of natural gas, including by venting, flaring, and fugitive releases, from all oil and gas operations; and
- measuring and reporting the production and disposition of all gas subject to the mineral leasing laws, all such gas produced, consumed on site, or lost through venting, flaring, or fugitive releases.
All such requirements shall include consistent enforcement mechanisms for any operations not in compliance with them.