Sec. 2. Findings
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/bill/117/s/645/is/section-2A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress finds that— methane is a potent heat-trapping gas that absorbs 28 to 36 times the quantity of energy that carbon dioxide absorbs over a 100-year period; increased methane concentrations in the atmosphere are responsible for approximately 25 percent of observed global warming; approximately 1/3 of global anthropogenic methane emissions are produced by the production and transmission of fossil fuels; recent estimates suggest that methane emissions from oil and natural gas operations in the United States are 60 percent higher than previously believed, representing 2.3 percent of natural gas production; methane emissions from oil and natural gas operations in the United States represent approximately $2,000,000,000 in lost natural gas that could be used to fuel 10,000,000 homes; estimates from the International Energy Agency suggest that 1/2 of methane emissions from global oil and natural gas supply chains may be eliminated at zero net cost; some oil and natural gas companies have announced plans to reduce methane emissions from the operations of those companies to below 0.2 percent of production, demonstrating that significant reductions in methane emissions are technically and economically feasible; and numerous companies in the United States are developing innovative technologies to allow oil and natural gas companies to more cost-effectively detect and reduce methane emissions.