US, EU will agree to cut methane emissions: report

The U.S. and European Union will reportedly aim to cut their methane emissions by 30 percent during this decade.

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is a significant contributor to climate change and can come from agriculture, oil and gas and other sectors. 

Reuters reported late Monday that the EU and U.S. will later this week pledge to cut their methane emissions 30 percent by 2030, citing a draft of the so-called Global Methane Pledge. 

The wire service also reported that a separate document says that countries including China, Russia, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Britain and South Africa could also join the pledge. 

Neither the State Department nor the European Commission immediately responded to The Hill’s request for comment. The European Commission also did not respond to Reuters, while the State Department declined to comment to the news outlet. 

The reported proposal comes as congressional Democrats look to tackle methane emissions — specifically from the fossil fuel sector. 

As part of their proposed $3.5 trillion spending bill, Democrats have proposed a “methane fee” on the oil and gas industry which would aim to hold “individual companies responsible for their own leaks and excess methane pollution.” 

Methane is more potent than carbon dioxide, but it lasts for less time in the atmosphere. Therefore, those who support cutting it argue that it’s a quick way to alleviate some global warming. 

A report last month by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change called for “strong, rapid and sustained reductions” in methane emissions to limit warming.