BISMARCK — Today, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) released the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued its proposal for the implementation of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program included in the Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act. Specifically, this program levies a burdensome fee on production and transportation of methane emissions from oil and gas operations.
“Democrats in Washington and their climate-zealous allies jammed the partisan Inflation Reduction Act through Congress, placing backwards, overburdensome regulations on domestic energy. This fee will reduce production and increase costs, disproportionally harming the working-class Americans who depend on affordable and reliable energy the most. Burdening North Dakota energy producers with more fees and penalties while saddling every American with higher energy is a foolhardy mistake Democrats will have to answer for.”
Starting this year, the proposed rule would charge oil and gas companies at least $900 per ton of methane, increasing to $1,200 per metric ton of methane in 2025, and to $1,500 per metric ton of methane in 2026.