The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule that it says will prevent an estimated 58-million tons of methane emissions between 2024 and 2038—the equivalent of 1.5- billion metric tons of carbon dioxide—and provide more than $7 billion annually in climate and public health benefits in that same time frame.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan and U.S National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi announced the final rule Dec. 2 at COP28, the international climate conference in Dubai, Nov. 30 through Dec. 12. The rule strengthens the proposal released in November 2021 and incorporates additional measures recommended in a supplemental proposal released last December.