On May 12, 2016, the EPA issued a final rule aimed at curbing
methane emissions from new and modified sources of oil and gas. In
addition to methane, the final rule regulates volatile organic
compounds ("VOCs") and several air pollutants that,
according to the EPA, come "packaged" with methane when
emitted from oil and gas infrastructure. EPA believes that the
final rule will reduce methane emissions by 520,000 short tons by
2025, and thus help attain the Obama administration's goal in
the Climate Action Plan to reduce methane emissions from the oil
and gas industry by 40 to 45% by 2025 from 2012 levels.
On August 18, 2015, the EPA issued a draft rule aimed at
reducing methane emissions. Since that time, the EPA stated that it
has received more than 900,000 public comments and held three
public hearings to discuss its proposed regulations. According to
the EPA, the information it received during the public comment
period led to several changes in the final rule,
