奥巴马政府希望通过要求石油和天然气公司限制在井口燃烧并采取措施减少泄漏，从而减少联邦拥有土地上能源生产的甲烷排放。

The Interior Dept.’s Bureau of Land Management says the proposed rule, announced on Jan. 22, is part of the administration’s strategy to cut methane emissions from the oil-and-gas sector by 40% to 45% by 2025, compared with 2012 levels. If current practices do not change, BLM says, U.S. emissions of methane—viewed as a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide—are projected to increase substantially.

环保组织称赞该提议，认为减少甲烷排放对于解决气候变化至关重要。

但是，美国政府关系和政治事务高级副总裁丹·纳兹（Dan Naatz）表示，改进的技术已经使页岩能源生产商自2008年以来能够将甲烷排放量减少13.3％。独立生产商可以运营。”他说。