North American leaders seek methane cuts

June 30, 2016
Leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the US have agreed to pursue cuts in methane emissions from oil and gas operations of 40-45% by 2025.

Leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the US have agreed to pursue cuts in methane emissions from oil and gas operations of 40-45% by 2025.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, and US President Barack Obama also said they’d try to have 50% of electric power generation come from “clean energy” by 2025.

In a statement from their June 29 summit in Ottawa, the leaders said they committed to “an ambitious and enduring North American climate, clean-energy, and environmental partnership that sets us firmly on the path to a more sustainable future.”

The statement included methane among “short-lived climate pollutants.”

To reduce methane emissions, it said, the leaders commit “to develop and implement federal regulations to reduce emissions from existing and new sources in the oil and gas sector as soon as possible” and “to develop and implement national methane reduction strategies for key sectors such as oil and gas, agriculture, and waste management, including food waste.”