The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provides new authorities under Section 136 of the Clean Air Act to tackle methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector through the creation of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP). This program will help reduce emissions of methane and other greenhouse gas (GHGs) from the oil and natural gas sector, and will have the co-benefit of reducing non-GHG emissions. The program will also reduce emissions from oil and natural gas infrastructure in or near overburdened communities.
Through the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) are partnering to provide up to $1.36 billion in financial and technical assistance through an interagency agreement to improve methane emissions monitoring, detection, measurement, and quantification and also reduce methane and other GHG emissions from the oil and natural gas sector.
The Methane Emissions Reduction Program includes the following financial assistance opportunities:
- $850 million (FOA-3256) was announced for 43 projects selected for negotiation that will help small oil and gas operators, Tribes, and other entities across the country to reduce, monitor, measure, and quantify methane emissions from the oil and gas sector
- $350 million (FOA-3109) in formula funding was awarded to 14 eligible states to assist oil and gas well owners and/or operators as they reduce methane emissions from low-producing conventional wells on nonfederal lands through voluntary, permanent well plugging.
The Methane Emissions Reduction Program includes the following technical assistance:
- EPA and DOE will provide technical assistance to help states, industry, and other partners implement cost-effective solutions that reduce methane emissions. The partnering agencies and departments will work with partners to implement and prioritize best practices and mitigation decision-support tools across the broader oil and natural gas sector. This technical assistance will also ensure efforts are fully aligned with the needs of local communities and help inform key decision-makers of mitigation opportunities across states, industry, and other partners.
To learn more about other the EPA managed regulatory aspects of Methane Emissions Reduction Program, please visit the EPA website.
Learn more about FECM’s Methane Mitigation Technologies program.
Last Updated: December 31, 2024