Slashdot Mirror
Obama Planning New Rules For Oil and Gas Industry's Methane Emissions
mdsolar sends this quote from the NY Times:
In President Obama's latest move using executive authority to tackle climate change, administration officials will announce plans this week to impose new regulations on the oil and gas industry's emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, according to a person familiar with Mr. Obama's plans. The administration's goal is to cut methane emissions from oil and gas production by up to 45 percent by 2025 from the levels recorded in 2012.
The Environmental Protection Agency will issue the proposed regulations this summer, and final regulations by 2016, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the administration had asked the person not to speak about the plan. The White House declined to comment on the effort. Methane, which leaks from oil and gas wells, accounts for just 9 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas pollution — but it is over 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, so even small amounts of it can have a big impact on global warming.
The Environmental Protection Agency will issue the proposed regulations this summer, and final regulations by 2016, according to the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the administration had asked the person not to speak about the plan. The White House declined to comment on the effort. Methane, which leaks from oil and gas wells, accounts for just 9 percent of the nation's greenhouse gas pollution — but it is over 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, so even small amounts of it can have a big impact on global warming.
Gas taxes are per gallon, not per dollar. They make more in taxes when gas prices drop and people worry less about saving gas.
Why is it good? why is de-industralization good? it is killing old people in Europe who can't afford the 'green' energy at three times the price (Google it).
If you understand math, then you should see Climate Scientist Murray Salby's presentation on climate change - he lays out the math for for you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
If you want to rant, fine - but please watch the video first and understand the math. Then we can have a discussion.
ps. Obama is smart, but not exceptionally smart. At least, Ben Stein doesn't think so:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/...
Stop putting elected people on pedestals. They don't have the competence to decide what is best for you nor me - only we do.
I don't see anybody trying to regulate that...
It's spelled E. P. A. and they want to regulate water everywhere, even that drainage ditch in your back yard.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
To be fair, Obama has had zero to do with any of that....he's reduced federal production and exploration
http://www.westernenergyallian...
The massive increase in production is due to private enterprise and mostly private land, nothing to do with the feds:
http://www.exxonmobilperspecti...
Ferret
Sic gorgiamus allos subjectatos nunc
Except humans don't emit a lot of water vapor.
They do however emit a lot of CO2 and Methane, which as part of the feedbook loop in global warming causes more water vapor in the air, further exacerbating the heating effects of all greenhouse gases, H2O included.
The water vapor argument is a deflection, and a poor one at that.
http://www.skepticalscience.co...
The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
Methane doesn't last long in the atmosphere
>that '25 times as powerful as CO2' statistic is its equivalent over a 100-year period
Not according to the references I can find.
from http://newsoffice.mit.edu/2014...
"...methane is a potent greenhouse gas, as well as a significant byproduct of using natural gas — advocated by many as a “bridge” to a lower-emissions future. But a direct comparison between methane and carbon dioxide, the most abundant greenhouse gas emitted by human activities, is complicated: While the standard figure used for emissions trading and technology evaluation says that, gram for gram, methane is about 30 times as potent a greenhouse gas as CO2, scientists say that’s an oversimplification.
''As reported in a paper published today in the journal Nature Climate Change, authored by MIT assistant professor of engineering systems Jessika Trancik and doctoral student Morgan Edwards, this conversion factor (called the global warming potential, or GWP) may significantly misvalue methane. Getting this conversion factor right is challenging because methane’s initial impact is much greater than that of CO2 — by about 100 times. But methane only stays in the atmosphere for a matter of decades, while CO2 sticks around for centuries. The result: After six or seven decades, the impact of the two gases is about equal, and from then on methane’s relative role continues to decline."
Or, if you prefer Wikipedia as a source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
http://www.geoffreylandis.com
The EPA is empowered, by Congress, to make such rules. The EPA falls under the executive branch, and so takes direction from the President, within the broad legislative mandate to protect the environment. In any event, the President hasn't actually issued new rules by decree - he's got certain goals, and has set the EPA to the task of actually drafting the rules and regulations through their normal process (which, for better or worse, includes lawsuits).
A President can't drop such regulations by decree, because that would violate the EPA's mandate and other existing laws enacted for the environment.