New rules announced recently by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requiring the more rigorous tracking of methane emissions, particularly from the oil and gas sectors, is welcome news. Methane, which as a greenhouse gas is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, is often overlooked in climate-change policies and regulations.

But consider this: Nearly a quarter of all methane emissions in the United States come from the oil and gas industry, enough to equal the greenhouse gas emissions from 24 coal plants, according to the EPA. Much of this is fugitive emissions — methane that escapes when oil and gas wells are drilled, at refineries, and along natural gas pipelines. Like the U.S., Canada does not currently have a national registry that tracks fugitive emissions, even though such emissions represented an estimated 8 per cent of all greenhouse-gas emissions in the country in 2006. For a background, check out this article I wrote in January 2009 for the Toronto Star.

Getting a handle on methane emissions from the oil and gas sectors is more important than ever. For one, North America is going to rely more on natural gas for power generation over the coming decade as a cheaper alternative to nuclear, cleaner alternative to coal, and to manage rising amounts of wind and solar being added to the grid. Second, more of that gas is going to come from shale and it will rely on a process that fractures the rock. It’s unclear, to me at least, whether increased shale gas extraction could lead to a dramatic increase in fugitive emissions resulting from the process.

Good on the EPA for sensing the need to track this potent gas more closely.

The decision today by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to call CO2 and several other greenhouse gases a “threat to public health and welfare” sets the stage for more aggressive climate-change regulations to come out of the United States. Based on the EPA position, it’s now legally recognized that the CO2 that comes out of your car’s tailpipe, out of the oil sands, out of power plants, etc… is a contributor to global warming and bad for humanity.

How quickly things change under a new U.S. Administration. Cap-and-trade, renewable portfolio standards, national low-carbon standards — they’re all on their way. Something worth celebrating as Earth Day approaches…