A study published by the University of Texas finds that regulating methane pollution from oil and gas sites in Texas could create as many as 35,000 jobs. Texas is the top methane polluting state in the country, and the state’s Permian Basin is one of the largest oil and gas producing regions in the world. The researchers find a significant workforce is needed to detect leaks, replace and fix components that are typically leaky parts of oil and gas wells, and plug and cap abandoned well sites. “
We want to show that environmental policies are not job killers,” said Christopher Agbo told Inside Climate News. “You can create tens of thousands of good-paying, family-sustaining union jobs while also cutting back on emissions.” The EPA’s methane regulations that will be finalized later this year would cut methane pollution 87 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, and the methane fee included in the Inflation Reduction Act is also slated to start in 2024. (Inside Climate News, Gizmodo)