The 4 million metric tons of methane emissions from these wells are the equivalent of 21 million extra cars on the road, the EPA says.
The public comment period, which closed Monday, included a group of 50 institutional investors with $4 trillion in assets who issued a statement in support of the rule.
Companies use EPA formulas that base emissions on the equipment in use. But the Environmental Defense Fund says when you measure leaks in the field, they’re “always much higher” than the estimates.
By
Staff 
The rules the DEP is crafting for existing sources will target volatile organic compounds
Natural has been hailed as a cleaner-burning fuel that’s better than coal, but researchers find methane leaks are doubling the climate footprint of gas
Pennsylvania moved to regulate the greenhouse gas as the Trump administration tries to roll back federal methane rules. The state permits apply to new and modified wells and related compressor stations, but not to the state’s 11,000 existing Marcellus shale gas wells.
