The US Environmental Protection Agency on March 8 published a final rule to reduce climate-warming methane releases from new and existing oil and natural gas sources, finalizing regulatory updates announced in early December 2023.

With the publication of the final rule, the timeline will begin for states to ensure that oil and natural gas producers detect and prevent equipment leaks, end flaring and curb so-called super-emitting events.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said shortly after the release of the EPA notice that he filed a lawsuit in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to try to block the measures.

The EPA has estimated that the new rules will keep 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent out of the atmosphere between 2024 and 2038 and help deliver on US climate pledges. The rules would also avoid millions of short tons of smog-forming volatile organic compounds, the agency said.

The American Petroleum Institute, the oil and gas industry's largest trade organization, said it shares the Biden administration's overall goal of reducing methane emissions but still has some concerns about the new regulations.

"We appreciate EPA's modifications to certain provisions, including setting more reasonable compliance timelines, yet we remain concerned over other aspects that could limit progress on reducing methane emissions and stifle innovation," Dustin Meyer, the group's senior vice president of policy, economics and regulatory affairs, said in an emailed statement. "We will continue to work with EPA to enhance the rule and ensure it effectively balances the need to accelerate emissions reductions while still meeting rising energy demand."

The EPA has estimated that the new regulations will reduce oil output by about 41.1 million barrels in 2038, about 1% of the country's total production.

Methane, the main component of natural gas, is more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term, making it a priority for nations trying to slow global warming.

The EPA actions published March 8 take multiple forms. Among other things, the EPA finalized new source performance standards for greenhouse emissions and volatile organic compounds from oil and gas operations. The agency also finalized emissions guidelines for states' plans for setting greenhouse gas emissions limits from existing oil and gas facilities. The EPA's final rule is effective May 7.