The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced that applications are open for $850m in federal funding for projects that will help monitor, measure, quantify, and reduce methane pollution from the oil and gas sectors.
Part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the funding builds on nearly 100 actions that are sharply reducing methane pollution in support of clean air, good jobs, and climate action.
Oil and natural gas facilities are the nation’s largest industrial source of methane, a climate ‘super pollutant’ that is many times more potent than carbon dioxide and is responsible for approximately one-third of the warming from greenhouse gases occurring today.
The policy builds on unprecedented action across the Biden Administration to dramatically cut methane pollution, with agencies taking nearly 100 actions in 2023 alone.
The oil and gas industries are the US’ largest contributor to methane pollution
The funding will specifically help small oil and natural gas operators reduce methane emissions and transition to available and innovative methane emissions reduction technologies.
It will also support partnerships that improve emissions measurement and provide accurate, transparent data to impacted communities.
The announcement is a key part of the broader technical and financial assistance that the Methane Emissions Reduction Program will provide.
“As we continue to accelerate the nation’s clean energy transition, we are taking steps now to drastically reduce harmful emissions from America’s largest source of industrial methane – the oil and gas sector,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm.
Key objectives of the funding
The primary objectives of this funding opportunity announcement are to:
- Help small operators significantly reduce methane pollution from oil and natural gas operations using commercially available technology solutions for methane emissions monitoring, measurement, quantification, and mitigation.
- Accelerate the repair of methane leaks from low-producing wells and the deployment of early-commercial technology solutions to reduce methane emissions from new and existing equipment.
- Improve communities’ access to empirical data and participation in monitoring through multiple installations of monitoring and measurement technologies.
- Enhance the detection and measurement of methane emissions from oil and gas operations at the regional scale while ensuring nationwide data consistency through the creation of collaborative partnerships.
Who can apply for funding?
A competitive solicitation for the methane pollution funding will enable a broad range of eligible US entities to apply, including industry, academia, non-governmental organisations, Tribes, and state and local governments.
This funding opportunity is expected to achieve measurable outcomes for skilled workforce training, community involvement, and environmental justice.
Funding applicants are required to submit Community Benefits Plans to demonstrate meaningful engagement with and tangible benefits to the communities in which the proposed projects will be located.
More details about the funding opportunity can be found here.
