The Biden administration has issued a final rule aimed at reducing methane emissions, that they say specifically targets the U.S. oil and natural gas industry for its role in contributing to global warming.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) claims that the new rule will significantly reduce methane and other harmful air pollutants generated by the industry. The EPA Administrator, Michael Regan, and White House Climate adviser, Ali Zaidi, announced the final rule at the United Nations climate conference in Dubai.

The Biden administration has been vocal about its commitment to a climate change agenda, with President Biden rejoining the Paris climate agreement and ordering a review of environmental regulations that were rolled back by the previous administration.

Biden’s methane rule is an extension of commitments made at previous climate conferences, aiming to significantly slash methane emissions and other air pollutants.

Unlike previous EPA regulations that focused only on new wells, this rule targets emissions from existing oil and gas wells nationwide. It also regulates smaller wells, requiring them to find and fix methane leaks.

The new methane rule aligns with the goal set by over 100 nations to cut methane emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. The Biden administration has put into place over 100 new policies regulating methane emissions, including mobilizing investments to address issues such as orphaned wells, leaky pipes, and abandoned mines.

The new Biden rule will be coordinated with a methane fee approved in the 2022 climate law, which imposes a fee on energy producers that exceed a certain level of methane emissions.

This fee marks the first time the U.S. government has directly imposed a fee or tax on greenhouse gas emissions. The law includes exemptions for companies that comply with EPA standards or fall below a certain emissions threshold. It also provides grants and spending to help companies and local communities improve monitoring, data collection, and leak repairs.

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Progressive public health and environmental advocates have praised the new rule, emphasizing its large overreaching impact to advance a national green agenda. While the new Biden rule comes with plenty of new fees, penalties, and regulations, it also has more holes than a sieve.

The new Biden rule allows for an equal number of exemptions that only reduces it to just another expensive progressive mandate, with the heavy cost, that will be passed on to consumers.