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CLIMATE ACTION PLAN - STRATEGY TO REDUCE METHANE EMISSIONS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Reducing methane emissions is a powerful way to take action on climate change; and putting 

methane to use can support local economies with a source of clean energy that generates

revenue, spurs investment, improves safety, and leads to cleaner air. That is why in his Climate 

Action Plan, President Obama directed the Administration to develop a comprehensive, 

interagency strategy to cut methane emissions.

This document lays out that strategy – summarizing the sources of methane and trends in 

emissions; setting forth a plan to reduce both domestic and international methane emissions

through incentive-based programs and the Administration’s existing authorities; and, outlining

the Administration’s efforts to improve measurement of these emissions. This strategy also 

highlights examples of technologies and industry-led best practices that are already helping to 

cut methane emissions.

Today, methane accounts for nearly 9 percent of domestic greenhouse gas emissions. And 

although U.S. methane emissions have decreased by 11 percent since 1990, they are projected to 

increase through 2030 if additional action is not taken. As a key element of the Climate Action 

Plan, this strategy outlines new actions to reduce methane emissions. These actions will improve 

public health and safety while providing more energy to power our communities, farms, 

factories, and power plants. These steps will also make an important contribution to meeting the

Administration goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17 percent below 

2005 levels by 2020. While the elements of the strategy will be further fleshed out in the coming 

months, Administration estimates show that steps along these lines could deliver greenhouse gas 

emissions reductions up to 90 million metric tons in 2020.

Through partnerships with industry, both at home and abroad, we have already demonstrated the 

technology and best practices to deliver substantial reductions in methane emissions. These costeffective steps can deliver multiple benefits: 

• Economic Benefits: Methane is the primary component of natural gas, so the recovery of 

methane that would otherwise be emitted can be productively used for power generation, 

heating or manufacturing. In addition, projects to reduce methane emissions can put 

people to work and spur investment in local economies. 

• Climate Change Benefits: Every ton of methane in the atmosphere has a global warming 

effect that is more than 20 times greater than a ton of carbon dioxide. Thus, methane 

reductions yield important climate benefits, particularly in the near term.

• Public Health: Actions to reduce methane also improve the quality of the air we breathe. 

Methane is a contributor to ground level ozone, so cutting methane emissions reduces 

smog, which is associated with higher rates of asthma attacks. Moreover, methane is 

often co-emitted with volatile organic compounds, some of which are hazardous air 
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pollutants, and many measures can cost-effectively reduce both pollutants. 

• Safety: Improved safety and reduced methane emissions go hand-in-hand, as in our 

natural gas transmission and distributions systems and coal mining industries.

Reducing Methane Emissions

The Administration is pursuing a targeted strategy that builds on progress to date and takes steps 

to further cut methane emissions from a number of key sources:

• Landfills: In the summer of 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will 

propose updated standards to reduce methane from new landfills and take public 

comment on whether to update standards for existing landfills. Through the Landfill 

Methane Outreach Program, EPA will further reduce methane emissions through 

voluntary programs – partnering with industry, state, and local leaders, many of whom 

are putting the methane waste to use powering their communities.

• Coal Mines: In April of 2014, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM) will release an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) to gather 

public input on the development of a program for the capture and sale, or disposal, of 

waste mine methane on lands leased by the Federal government. In addition, EPA will 

continue to partner with industry through its voluntary program to reduce institutional, 

technical, regulatory, and financial barriers to beneficial methane recovery and use at coal 

mines. 

• Agriculture: In June, in partnership with the dairy industry, the US Department of 

Agriculture (USDA), EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) will jointly release a 

“Biogas Roadmap” outlining voluntary strategies to accelerate adoption of methane 

digesters and other cost-effective technologies to reduce U.S. dairy sector greenhouse gas 

emissions by 25 percent by 2020. USDA and EPA will also continue to support 

biodigester technology deployment by providing financial and technical assistance

through voluntary programs.

• Oil and Gas: Building on the success of voluntary programs and targeted regulations in 

reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, the Administration will take new 

actions to encourage additional cost-effective reductions. Key steps include: 

o In the spring of 2014, EPA will assess several potentially significant sources of 

methane and other emissions from the oil and gas sector. EPA will solicit input 

from independent experts through a series of technical white papers, and in the 

fall of 2014, EPA will determine how best to pursue further methane reductions 

from these sources. If EPA decides to develop additional regulations, it will 

complete those regulations by the end of 2016. Through the Natural Gas STAR 

program, EPA will work with the industry to expand voluntary efforts to reduce 

methane emissions.
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o Later this year, the BLM will propose updated standards to reduce venting and 

flaring from oil and gas production on public lands. 

o As part of the Quadrennial Energy Review, and through DOE-convened 

roundtables, the Administration will identify “downstream” methane reduction 

opportunities. 

Beyond these actions to reduce domestic methane emissions, the United States is also helping 

partners around the world to reduce methane emissions, including through the Climate and Clean 

Air Coalition and the Global Methane Initiative.

Improving Methane Measurement

Methane emissions come from diverse sources and sectors of the economy, unevenly dispersed 

across the landscape. These characteristics complicate measurement and attribution and lead to 

significant uncertainties in estimates of current and projected methane emissions. Better data 

collection and measurement will improve our understanding of methane sources and trends, and 

enable more effective management of opportunities to reduce methane emissions. Key steps 

under the strategy to improve data quality include:

• Developing new measurement technologies, including lower-cost emissions sensing 

equipment. 

• Addressing areas of higher uncertainty in bottom-up inventories through additional data 

collection, direct emission measurements, and research and analysis.

• Enhancing top-down modeling and monitoring based on direct measurement of 

atmospheric concentrations. 
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I. SOURCES AND TRENDS IN METHANE EMISSIONS

Methane has a global warming potential more than 20 times greater than that of carbon dioxide, 

per metric ton; on this basis, emissions of methane from human-related sources were equivalent 

to approximately 560 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution in 2012 – making up nearly

9 percent of all the greenhouse gases emitted as a result of human activity in the United States1. 

Since 1990, methane emissions in the United States have decreased by 11 percent, even as many 

activities that can produce methane have increased. However, methane emissions are projected to 

increase to a level equivalent to over 620 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution in 2030 absent 

additional action to reduce emissions. The main sources of human-related methane emissions

are agriculture (36 percent), natural gas systems (23 percent), landfills (18 percent), coal mining 

(10 percent), petroleum systems (6 percent), and wastewater treatment (2 percent) 2.

II. REDUCING METHANE EMISSIONS

On June 25, 2013, the President issued a broad-based Climate Action Plan to cut the pollution 

that causes climate change and damages public health. The plan has three key pillars: cutting 

domestic greenhouse gas emissions, preparing the United States for the impacts of climate 

change, and continuing American leadership in international efforts to combat global climate 

change. 

Low-cost technologies and best practices to recover methane and cut pollution are already 

widely available and used in key sectors. In addition to taking on climate change, reducing 

methane emissions has many other benefits. Recovered methane provides a local source of clean 

energy that can generate revenue and spur economic development. Reducing methane

emissions can also improve safety and reduce local air pollution and odors. For example, landfill 

gas can be captured with collection systems and used for electricity generation or to provide fuel 

to a nearby factory. Methane recovered from coal mine degasification systems can be sold to 

natural gas pipelines or used on site for process heat. Methane generated from livestock manure 

can be captured through the use of biodigesters and used to generate electricity, avoiding fuel 

costs or providing a source of additional revenue. Methane that is vented or leaked from oil and

natural gas production or processing facilities can be recovered through upgraded equipment and 

management practices that improve the company’s bottom line. 

This section outlines cost-effective opportunities to reduce methane emissions in four key sectors

of our economy. It highlights new Administration actions to encourage voluntary emissions 

reductions and to set new standards where appropriate. The section also features key publicprivate sector initiatives that are cutting methane emissions or improving our understanding

about specific sources of emissions. Finally, this section describes key U.S. efforts in helping 

 1 Estimates of methane’s potency as a greenhouse gas in this document use 100-year global warming potential 

values from the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as required by 

international reporting standards.

2 These estimates are based on the Draft Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2012, EPA, 

February 2014. The draft 2014 GHG Inventory (calculating emissions from 1990 through 2012) includes several 

updates to the methane numbers. As a result of the recalculations, in the draft 2014 Inventory, the total methane 

emissions estimate decreased by about 4 percent from the previous estimate.
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Case Study: Blue Ridge Renewable Energy Plant 

in Pennsylvania

In a true private-public partnership, landfill gas

supplier IESI Blue Ridge Landfill, power purchaser 

Borough of Chambersburg and project developer PPL 

Renewable Energy (PPLRE) worked closely together 

to bring this 6.4-megawatt landfill gas electricity 

project online after only seven months of construction. 

In addition to designing, constructing, owning, and 

operating the LFG electricity plant at the landfill, 

PPLRE designed, permitted, and built the dedicated, 

4-mile Express Generator Feeder from the plant to the 

Borough’s Cree substation. Coming full circle, waste 

that Borough residents and businesses deposited in the 

landfill now supplies about 15 percent of its 11,000 

customers’ electric needs, plus the Borough was able 

to decrease the price of electricity those customers 

pay. In addition, the project generates 50,000 

renewable energy credits annually toward meeting the 

state renewable energy goal.

international partners to reduce their methane emissions. 

Reducing Emissions from Landfills

Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions 

in the United States, accounting for approximately 18 percent of methane emissions in 2012, 

equivalent to approximately 100 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution. Instead of 

allowing landfill gas to escape into the air, there is an opportunity to capture this gas and use it as 

a source of clean energy. In fact, standards and programs already in place have reduced landfill 

emission considerably, while creating jobs and improving public health. The Administration is 

committed to further reducing landfill emissions and tapping this important energy resource:

• Updating Common Sense Rules to 

Reduce Landfill Emissions: EPA 

will release a proposed update to its 

current standards for new municipal 

solid waste landfills in the summer of

2014, including assessing 

opportunities for further minimizing 

emissions when landfills are built or 

modified. Since there may be an even 

bigger opportunity for reducing 

methane emissions at existing 

landfills, EPA will also issue an 

Advanced Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking (ANPRM) by June 2014 

to engage industry and stakeholders 

on a range of approaches for cutting 

methane-rich landfill gases currently 

being emitted by existing facilities.

• Enhancing Landfill Gas-to-Energy Projects: EPA will continue to work with 

municipalities and landfill owners to advance cost-effective voluntary energy recovery 

projects at landfills through the Landfill Methane Outreach Program.

• Reducing Landfill Waste: Through the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, the USDA and 

EPA are challenging producers, processors, manufacturers, retailers, communities, and 

other government agencies to help reduce, recover, or recycle food waste. Less waste in 

our landfills, means less methane emissions, a win-win.

Capturing Methane Emissions from Coal Mining

In 2012, 10 percent of human-related methane emissions came from the coal mining sector, 

equivalent to 56 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution. When recovered safely, coal mine 

methane can be a valuable, clean-burning source of energy. One of the most important cobenefits to reducing methane emissions at coal mines is increasing mine safety since 

uncontrolled methane emissions can cause fires and explosions. To further reduce coal mine 
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methane emissions, the Department of Interior’s BLM and the Environmental Protection Agency 

will take actions in two key areas: 

• Establishing a Program to Reduce Waste Coal Mine Emissions on Public Lands: 

The BLM will release an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) in April

2014, to solicit public input on the development of a program for the capture, sale, or 

disposal of waste mine methane from Federal coal leases and Federal leases for other 

solid minerals. The ANPRM will seek public input on preferred technology options for 

methane capture, whether the BLM should promote partnerships to capture or destroy 

waste mine methane, and how the agency could encourage cost-effective capture of 

methane from coal mines. 

• Overcoming Barriers to Reducing Coal Mining Emissions: Since the Coalbed 

Methane Outreach Program’s launch in 1994, the coal mining industry has nearly 

doubled its total methane recovery and use. Currently, over 20 mines have installed 

methane degasification systems. The EPA will continue to work with industry through 

this voluntary program to encourage recovery and beneficial use of methane by helping 

to overcome institutional, technical, regulatory, and financial barriers. The EPA will also 

continue to coordinate with the Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health 

Administration to ensure that implementation of methane recovery projects at coal mines 

is consistent with all applicable safety standards and with the BLM’s efforts to facilitate 

coalbed methane capture and use on Federal lands.

Reducing Emissions from Agriculture

Thirty six percent of human-related methane emissions come from the agricultural sector in the 

United States, equivalent to over 200 million tons of carbon pollution. This strategy addresses 

emissions from agriculture exclusively through voluntary actions, not through regulations. The 

most important voluntary opportunities are through manure management with anaerobic 

digestion and biogas utilization. Biogas systems are proven and effective technology to process 

organic waste and generate renewable energy. They can reduce the risk of potential air and water 

quality issues while providing additional revenue for the operation. Yet, there are still relatively 

few digesters in operation on farms across America. To encourage adoption of this technology, 

the Administration is committed to promoting additional, cost-effective actions to reduce 

methane emissions through voluntary partnerships and programs, including: 

• Developing a Biogas Roadmap: This June, in partnership with the dairy industry, 

USDA, EPA and DOE will jointly release a Biogas Roadmap outlining voluntary 

strategies to accelerate the adoption of biogas systems and other cost-effective 

technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This work will support the U.S. dairy 

industry goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020 for the 

entire value chain.

 
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• Enhancing Biogas System Deployment: 

USDA will continue to support biogas system 

deployment by providing financial and 

technical assistance through the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service’s 

Environmental Quality Incentive Program and 

Rural Development’s Rural Energy for 

America Program, Bioenergy Program for 

Advanced Biofuels, and Biorefinery 

Assistance Program. The Natural Resources 

Conservation Service Conservation’s 

Innovation Grants program is already

catalyzing reductions in methane emissions 

through projects on rice cultivation and 

manure management. Through the AgSTAR 

program, EPA and USDA will continue working together to overcome barriers to 

expanding the use of agricultural biogas systems, and provide a forum for industry and 

other stakeholders to access information.

Reducing Methane Emissions from the Oil and Natural Gas Sectors 

In 2012, 28 percent of methane emissions were attributed to the oil and natural gas sectors. 

Methane equivalent to 127 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution was emitted from production, 

processing, transmission, storage, and distribution of natural gas. Methane equivalent to 32 

million tons of carbon dioxide pollution was emitted from production and refining, of oil. 

Within the natural gas industry, approximately 31 percent of this methane came from production 

sources, 15 percent from processing, 34 percent from the transmission and storage, and 20 

percent from distribution. As our use of natural gas in manufacturing, transportation, and power 

generation increases – creating jobs, reducing costs, cutting carbon pollution, and reducing 

dependence on foreign oil in our nation – we must continue to build on progress in reducing 

methane emissions from this vital sector of our economy. 

There are cost-effective technologies and best management practices to capture methane from 

venting and leaks across the entire oil and natural gas value chain. These range from equipment 

upgrades or replacements, to process or operational changes. Building on progress to date, the 

Administration will undertake new steps, including: 

 

• Working with States: States are the primary regulators of many aspects of oil and gas 

production activities and the distribution of natural gas. DOE and EPA will continue to 

provide technical assistance in support of effective state policy actions to reduce 

emissions, and to encourage broader adoption of proven mitigation strategies. 

• Building on Common-Sense Federal Standards: Since 2012, the EPA has taken a 

series of steps to address air pollution from the oil and gas sector. On April 17, 2012, the 

EPA issued final regulations to reduce the emissions of volatile organic compounds 

(VOCs), some of which are hazardous air pollutants, establishing, among other things, 

the first Federal air pollution standards for natural gas wells that are hydraulically 

The Dairy Innovation Center “Dairy Power” 

Project

The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy’s “Dairy 

PowerTM “project is focused on realizing the 

significant potential of anaerobic digester 

systems that can produce clean energy and 

value-added products, generate revenue for 

dairy producers and create jobs. The Dairy 

Power project report findings show a $3 billion 

market potential through the products and coproducts developed by mature digester systems 

that process manure and commercial food 

waste, with additional value for potential 

nutrient trading markets, and renewable energy 

and low-carbon energy production incentives. 

 
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fractured, along with requirements for other sources, such as compressors, that were not 

previously regulated at the Federal level. Although these regulations targeted VOCs, they

also reduced methane emissions substantially. EPA estimates that when fully 

implemented in 2015, the 2012 rules will decrease methane equivalent to 33 million tons 

of carbon pollution per year. Going forward, the EPA will deploy a carefully selected 

combination of policy tools to maximize cost-effective methane and VOC reductions 

from the oil and gas sector. 

During the spring of 2014, the EPA will release a series of white papers on several 

potentially significant sources of methane in the oil and gas sector and solicit input from 

independent experts. The papers will focus on technical issues, covering emissions and 

control technologies that target both VOC and methane —with particular focus on oil and 

co-producing wells, liquids unloading, leaks, pneumatic devices and compressors. The 

agency will use these technical documents to solidify its understanding of these 

potentially significant sources of methane. This robust technical understanding will allow 

the agency to fully evaluate the range of policy mechanisms that will cost-effectively cut 

methane waste and emissions. The EPA will make peer reviewer comments available 

this summer. This fall, the EPA will determine what if any regulatory authorities, 

including setting standards under section 111 of the Clean Air Act or issuing Control 

Techniques Guidelines under section 182 of the Act, the agency will apply to emissions 

from these sources. If the agency determines to follow a regulatory course of action, it 

will undertake a schedule that will ensure that both rulemaking and any ensuing 

regulatory requirements for the states are completed by the end of 2016.

• Enhanced Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement: The Administration will work 

collaboratively with key stakeholders to reduce methane emissions from natural gas 

systems.

o In coordination with the Executive Office of the President and other Federal agencies, 

Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz hosted a roundtable discussion on March 19, 2014 

with leaders from industry, state governments, academic researchers, nongovernmental organizations, and labor. DOE will sponsor additional roundtable 

discussions with stakeholders, with the primary objective of accelerating the adoption 

of best practices for reducing methane emissions from natural gas systems. Through 

these DOE roundtables the Administration also aims to:

 Promote a common understanding of methane emissions from natural gas 

systems and related abatement opportunities.

 Develop strategies for cost-effectively reducing methane emissions from 

processing, transmission and storage and distribution segments of the 

supply chain.

 Catalyze greater action and engagement by policymakers at all levels of 

government, and encourage industry to embrace a common vision, 

including through participation in existing voluntary programs.

o EPA will take steps to bolster its voluntary Natural Gas STAR Program, which has 

already identified over 50 cost-effective technologies and practices that reduce or
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avoid methane emissions, by eliciting 

more robust industry commitments 

while enhancing transparency and 

accountability. In the spring of 2014, 

EPA will begin to engage the industry, 

states, and other key stakeholders on 

ways to enhance this program, and will 

formally launch the new partnership by 

the end of 2014. 

• Minimizing Venting and Flaring on 

Public Lands: DOI's Office of Inspector 

General and the U.S. Government 

Accountability Office have both criticized 

BLM's outdated requirements governing 

venting and flaring for wasting Federal gas 

resources and associated royalties to the 

American taxpayer. To reduce the loss of 

natural gas through the venting or flaring 

of methane produced from Federal and 

Indian oil and gas leases, the BLM will 

develop a draft rule, known informally as 

Onshore Order 9, and anticipates releasing 

this proposed rule later this year. To aid in 

the development of the rule, DOI has 

begun outreach to tribes, industry and other 

stakeholders. 

• Identifying Policy Recommendations for 

Reducing Emissions from Energy 

Infrastructure: The first installment of the Quadrennial Energy Review (QER), to be 

released in January of 2015, will recommend actions that industry, and Federal and state 

governments can take to improve the performance of our energy transmission, storage 

and distributions systems. Building on the DOE roundtables, the QER will evaluate

methane emissions abatement opportunities from the processing, transmission, storage 

and distribution segments of the natural gas supply chain. To help identify the most costeffective mitigation options, DOE’s Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis will 

work with the National Labs and EPA to evaluate technology cost estimates developed 

by NGOs and industry, and combine analysis with associated emissions data, recently 

updated by EPA. 

• Supporting Development of New Technologies to Reduce Emissions: DOE will 

support the development of new technologies to enable more cost-effective emission 

reductions through several programs:

Reducing Downstream Emissions

Safety is a top priority for natural gas distribution 

companies and state regulators. Thirty-eight states 

have some form of accelerated infrastructure 

replacement cost recovery program in place. Many 

companies are working with their state regulators 

to accelerate the modernization, replacement and 

expansion of the nation’s natural gas pipeline 

system. These efforts to enhance safety also put 

people to work and reduce methane emissions. 

Several cooperative efforts are also underway. A 

group of 13 American Gas Association members 

are working with the Environmental Defense Fund 

on a project to improve measurement of methane 

emissions from natural gas distribution systems. 

In addition, the Natural Gas Downstream 

Initiative, a group of natural gas utilities, is 

collaborating to address key technical and 

regulatory factors affecting methane emission 

reduction opportunities from natural gas 

distribution systems. Through the initiative, 

partners are working to identify and encourage 

programs that accelerate investments in 

infrastructure and promote outstanding operations, 

including modernizing their systems and utilizing 

next generation technologies. The initiative is 

focused on opportunities that can substantially 

reduce methane emissions and support safe, 

reliable and cost-effective service. Current 

partners include Consolidated Edison Company of 

New York, National Grid, Pacific Gas & Electric 

Company, Public Service Electric and Gas 

Company, and Xcel Energy.
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o In December 2013, the DOE made up to $8 billion in loan guarantee authority 

available for a wide array of advanced fossil energy projects under its Section 1703 

loan guarantee program. Innovative technologies to reduce methane emissions from 

the coal mining and oil and gas sectors is one specific focus of this initiative, which 

will include regular solicitations for new loan applications.

o The 2015 Budget proposes a new $4.7 million DOE program to speed development of 

technologies for leak detection and monitoring, pipeline leak repair without having to 

evacuate gas from the pipelines, smart pipeline sensors, and compressor controls. 

The program will be aimed at accelerating the commercialization of advanced 

pipeline inspection technologies. For example smart sensors could be distributed 

within the pipeline network and provide real-time continuous tracking of gas volumes 

and pipeline internal conditions.

• Continuing to Prioritize Pipeline Safety: The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety 

Administration (PHMSA) will continue monitoring natural gas pipeline systems for 

safety, including requiring pipeline operators to take steps to eliminate leaks and prevent 

accidental releases of methane. Through this effort PHMSA has conducted a survey to 

evaluate each states progress to replace old, high-risk cast iron pipelines in their systems 

with new technologies that reduce leakage and accidental releases of methane over time.

U.S. Leadership in Reducing Global Methane Emissions

Methane accounts for approximately 15 percent of global annual greenhouse gas emissions. The 

United States is the recognized global leader in helping partners around the world to reduce 

methane emissions, including through the following two key actions: 

• Spearheading Key Initiatives in the Climate and Clean Air Coalition: As a founding 

partner of the Climate and Clean Air Coalition to Reduce Short-Lived Climate Pollutants 

(CCAC) – which now includes nearly 40 country partners and key actors like the World 

Bank, UN Environment Programme, and World Health Assembly – the United States is 

helping to spearhead initiatives to across key sectors:

o The CCAC Municipal Solid Waste Initiative is currently working with 26 cities in 

Africa, Asia and Latin America to develop sustainable municipal solid waste 

practices to reduce methane emissions from landfills and improve air quality, public 

health, and the environment. To scale-up and replicate these efforts, the initiative is 

helping to build the capacity of national governments; has created a global city 

network that promotes peer-to-peer learning and sharing of best practices; and is 

developing innovative, sustainable financing solutions.

o The recently-launched CCAC Agriculture Initiative will promote improved manure 

management and rice cultivation practices through new global knowledge platforms, 

regional centers providing targeted assistance, and support to national and local early 

adopters of policies and technologies to catalyze large-scale practice change. This 

effort will not only reduce methane emissions and local pollution from the agriculture 

sector, it will also increase food security and productivity. 
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o The United States is working with international and corporate partners to launch the 

CCAC Oil and Gas Methane Partnership in 2014 with an initial group of oil and gas 

companies agreeing to systematically survey, report, and reduce methane emissions 

across a range of their participating operations. Participating companies will deploy 

proven and cost-effective technologies and practices across the largest sources of 

methane emissions in the oil and gas sector.

• Leveraging U.S. Technical Expertise 

through the Global Methane Initiative: 

Through the Global Methane Initiative 

(GMI), the United States leverages U.S. 

technical expertise to help partners around 

the world substantially reduce their 

methane emissions in five key sectors: 

agriculture; coal mines; municipal solid 

waste; oil and gas systems; and municipal 

wastewater. GMI is a public-private 

initiative with 43 partner countries, 

including all of the top 10 leading methane 

emitters, and over 1,000 members of the 

Project Network, including private sector, 

nongovernmental organizations, and 

multilateral organizations such as the 

World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and the Inter-American Development 

Bank. GMI advances cost-effective, near-term methane recovery and use as a clean 

energy source, with a proven track record of helping to reduce methane emissions of over 

220 million metric tons carbon dioxide since 2004, and identifying additional potential 

reductions that can be achieved cost-effectively. GMI has also developed a suite of tools 

and resources to help overcome barriers to methane capture and recovery and has built 

institutional capacity in Partner countries to ensure the long-term success of these 

efforts. These projects reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the near term and provide 

important environmental, safety, and economic co-benefits. The EPA is the lead agency 

from the U.S. Government and coordinates with the Department of State, Department of 

Energy, Department of Agriculture, USAID, and the Trade and Development Agency.

III. IMPROVING MEASUREMENT OF METHANE SOURCES AND EMISSIONS

Our current understanding of methane sources and trends supports the steps to reduce emissions 

outlined in this strategy. At the same time, sharpening our ability to measure emissions will 

enable more targeted efforts in the future. For this reason, in addition to identifying technologies 

and best practices for reducing emissions, the Climate Action Plan also calls for an assessment of 

current methane emissions data. Unlike carbon dioxide, where emissions are easily estimated 

from well-tracked energy statistics, many sources of methane are more diffuse, not 

systematically tracked by statistics agencies, and thus considerably more uncertain. 

NGO-Industry Cooperative Research 

Initiative

In 2012, Environmental Defense Fund kicked 

off a series of studies — collaborating with 

more than 90 academic, research and industry 

partners — to better understand how much and 

from where methane is lost from the natural gas 

system today.

This project is investigating emissions from five 

key areas that make up the natural gas supply 

chain: production, gathering lines and 

processing facilities, long-distance pipelines and 

storage, local distribution and commercial 

trucks and refueling stations. The initiative 

includes 16 independent projects, all expected to 

be completed by the end of 2014. 
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Methods for Measuring Methane Emissions

The measurement and estimation of methane emissions currently occurs in two primary ways: 

through “bottom-up” greenhouse gas inventories, which focus on the specific source or activity 

causing the emissions, and through “top-down” methods that infer emissions from measurements 

of atmospheric methane concentrations. Each approach has different strengths, weaknesses, and 

uncertainties, and they play complementary roles. Bottom-up inventories provide the foundation 

for policy and programs and top-down approaches are utilized for independent validation and 

overall assessments of the efficacy of national and international efforts to reduce methane in the 

atmosphere.

Nationally, emissions are tracked by the EPA through a bottom-up inventory, the U.S. 

Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI), a document all parties to the UN Framework Convention on 

Climate Change (UNFCCC) are required to produce. A suite of methods for such inventories are 

published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and generally consist of statistical 

approaches involving activity factors (e.g., number of gas wells, number of landfills), emissions 

factors (e.g., methane emissions per gas well, methane emissions per landfill), and reductions 

data (e.g., counts of devices or practices that reduce methane emissions, such as flares and 

anaerobic digesters). The quality of methane data for some sources in the GHGI can be highly 

variable, and consequently, emissions estimates for some sources entail considerable uncertainty. 

The GHGI is also beginning to be supplemented by new data from the Greenhouse Gas 

Reporting Program (GHGRP), a congressionally mandated EPA program requiring large 

emitters of GHGs from many sectors to estimate and report their emissions to EPA. Methane

data are now available for several important sectors (i.e., landfills, petroleum and natural gas 

systems, underground coal mines, and industrial wastewater systems) and are generally 

consistent with the GHGI, although more analysis is planned. 

In addition to estimating human-related emissions using bottom-up statistical approaches, 

aggregate emissions can be inferred using top-down atmospheric models and measured 

concentrations of methane in the atmosphere. Atmospheric methane concentrations are sampled

in the United States, as well as globally, by a variety of instruments on towers, ships, and 

aircraft. The network is adequate to estimate average global emissions, but it lacks the density to 

quantify emissions in all regions or to systematically identify emissions sources. 

In sum, bottom-up methods are necessary to characterize emissions sources with precision, 

which is critical for designing mitigation strategies. Top-down methods, while they cannot 

generally perform such attribution with high confidence, can help to validate bottom-up 

estimates using measured values and can help to identify emissions ‘hot spots’ for closer 

measurement. 

Key Actions to Improve Methane Emissions Measurement and Monitoring

Administration efforts to improve U.S. methane measurement support two broad goals: 

1) improving the bottom-up emissions data relevant for mitigation; and, 2) advancing the science 

and technology for monitoring and validating atmospheric concentrations. Within these broad 

goals, improvement opportunities exist across input data (i.e., emissions factors, activity factors, 

and reductions data), atmospheric observations data, and the science needed to bridge between 
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atmospheric observations and bottom-up emissions data (i.e., monitoring and validation science).

Federal agencies are already investing in related enhancements, and this strategy announces 

several critical new activities to further improve methane emissions measurement Examples of 

both include:

• Encouraging the Development of Cost-Effective Measurement Technologies: DOE’s 

ARPA-E program is preparing a new methane program that will fund technologies to 

deliver an order-of-magnitude reduction on the cost of methane sensing, thus facilitating 

much wider deployment throughout all segments of natural gas systems.

• Enhancing the US Greenhouse Gas Inventory: EPA will continue to update and 

enhance the data published in its annual GHGI as new scientific evidence and data 

sources emerge. EPA will also continue to use the data collected through the GHGRP to 

improve the GHGI, particularly for the petroleum, natural gas, coal mining, and landfill 

sectors. This data will improve as additional reporting of inputs to emissions equations 

began in 2013 and, in 2015, EPA also plans to make ongoing improvements to the 

GHGRP regulatory requirements for petroleum and natural gas systems. In March 2014, 

EPA proposed revisions to GHGRP calculation methods, monitoring and data reporting 

requirements that would enhance the clarity and consistency of the reported data from 

petroleum and natural gas systems, such as for liquids unloading, completions and 

workovers, and compressors. The EPA will continue to review regulatory requirements to 

address potential gaps in coverage, improve methods, and help ensure high quality data 

reporting. DOE and USDA will also provide support to improve emissions factors. EPA 

efforts to improve the GHGI will promote transparency and stakeholder input by means 

of annual expert, public and international review periods.

• Building our National Methane Monitoring Network: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists maintain a network of methane 

monitoring sites in the United States, including tall towers, periodic aircraft 

measurements, and surface measurements. NOAA has also conducted periodic aircraftbased methane measurements in six major U.S. oil and gas production regions. At its 

current funding level, this Carbon Observation and Analysis Program provides the 

minimum needed for climate modeling. To expand capabilities, the President’s budget

requests $8 million above current funding of $6.5 million for this program to:

o Add 6 tall towers to the network, increasing the network to 14;

o Enhance the measurement capabilities of all 14 towers;

o Triple the frequency of aircraft-based observations.

• Improving Local & Regional Emissions Modeling: As part of DOE’s ongoing 

unconventional gas program, DOE is funding two projects - one at Pennsylvania State 

University and one at Carnegie Mellon University - using tracer release methods and 

tower, automobile, aircraft monitoring, and other methods to measure and model methane 

emissions from the Marcellus region in Pennsylvania. A regional inventory of other 

methane sources including landfills, wetlands, water treatment facilities, and agriculture 

sources will also be obtained. The project is scheduled to begin in 2015 and end in 2017. 

Additionally, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory JPL, is carrying out a Carbon in Arctic 
14

Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment, which includes regular monitoring of methane 

concentrations over Alaska’s North Slope.

• Improving Global Emissions Monitoring and Estimates: EPA is collecting emissions 

reduction data through the Global Methane Initiative. EPA will also continue to update 

and publish detailed estimates and projections of global human-related non-CO2

greenhouse gas emissions, and the mitigation potential from these sources. DOE’s 

Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Climate Research Facility is making long-term 

methane flux measurements at multiple permanent locations around the world. NOAA 

runs the largest global network of GHG measurements and works closely with 

international partners and the World Meteorological Organization to ensure global 

measurements of GHG concentrations, including methane, are standardized. NOAA also 

consolidates data from this global network and releases the data to the public. Other 

Federal agencies (e.g. NASA and DOE) also contribute to these networks. NASA and the 

National Institute of Standards and Technology are helping to fund the Megacities 

Carbon Project, an international research effort to develop and demonstrate a 

scientifically robust capability to measure multi-year emission trends of CO2, methane, 

and carbon monoxide attributed to individual megacities and selected major sectors in 

those cities. In addition, USDA’s Forest Service is working with international partners, 

universities and the USAID on international efforts that monitor methane on sites in 

Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru.