Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy awarded the state $8 million from the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, which will be used to reduce climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas infrastructure while protecting ground and surface waters.
The Methane Emissions Reduction Program will also provide a combination of technical and financial assistance to help well owners and operators voluntarily identify and eliminate methane emissions from low-producing conventional oil and gas wells with disproportionately high methane emissions. The funds are part of $350 million awarded to 14 states that will help measure and reduce methane emissions, one of the biggest drivers of climate change.
“New Yorkers are feeling the impacts of climate change all across the state, and in response we are taking bold action and building a stronger, more resilient New York with the help of record State and Federal resources,” Hochul said in a press statement. “The Biden-Harris Administration and our federal partners are recognizing the importance of reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions through the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, and strengthening New York’s commitment to confronting the existential threat of climate change head on.”
