Remarks by EDF President Fred Krupp Regarding Media Accounts of Pending White House Methane Policy Announcement

Following are remarks by Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp about today’s New York Times story reporting details of a long-anticipated announcement by the Obama administration about plans to reduce emissions of heat-trapping methane pollution from the oil and gas sector:

“If the reported target is correct, and if there’s a solid program offered to achieve it, then this is indeed a landmark moment. Methane pollution is both an environmental problem and a needless waste of energy, and we need responsible oversight of an issue that industry has failed to address. Oil and gas companies are squandering enough natural gas through methane leaks each year to heat almost 6 million homes. Low-cost technology to fix the problem is readily available. This does not pose an unreasonable challenge to the industry. Curbing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector is one of the fastest and most-effective steps we can take to slow the damage of climate change in the near term. The greenhouse gas emissions from leaks in the oil and gas sector are equivalent to the pollution from 180 coal-fired power plants.”

• Fred Krupp, President, Environmental Defense Fund