On Tuesday’s second day of the global climate summit, President Joe Biden will announce a new push for methane emissions reductions, a key global warming agent, even though key provisions remain on Capitol Hill.
Monday night, he attended a reception at the British Royal House. But tensions over his domestic agenda threaten to overshadow any climate plans.
Methane has a greater impact on the greenhouse effect that carbon dioxide, so reducing leaks can be a significant step towards achieving climate targets.
Biden pledged during the COP26 summit that he would work with the European Union, other nations, and reduce global emissions by nearly a third by 2030.
The core element of U.S. actions are tighter Environmental Protection Agency regulations in the oil and gas sector.
On Monday night, President Biden met Prince William at an event. He will then announce a major push for reducing methane emissions on Tuesday.
The policy’s main pillar is stricter EPA regulations regarding emissions and leaks
On Monday, Sen. Joe Manchin said that he was not certain about the cost of Biden’s Build Back Better. It includes measures to stop methane leakage from old mines.
However, centrist Democrats are supporting other efforts such as sealing abandoned coal mines or capping old gas lines.
Biden’s appearance in Glasgow (Scotland) was overshadowed by comments from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin. Manchin is one of the staunchest opponents to the plan.
However, administration officials dismiss any suggestion that domestic politics is reducing the president’s ability get things done on a global scale.
A senior administration official said that the president had been as engaging today with world leaders as he was today.
He cited the example of progress on methane and said that it would have a catalytic impact on other countries.
Manchin holds the deciding vote in Senate and has managed a key part of Biden’s environmental proposals from the “Build Back Better” plan.
However, he said Monday that he remains unsure about the cost.
The tension at home is intensified as Biden and his large staff of officials attempt to use COP26 for American leadership.
Biden spoke Monday to delegates and stated that the U.S. was ‘not only back at the table but it can hopefully lead from the power of its example’, even though he acknowledged, ‘I know this hasn’t always be the case.
This push includes the methane strategy.
It contains new safety regulations from Transportation Department to eliminate leaks in country’s 3 million miles of pipelines.
The Interior Department is responsible for reducing methane emissions from public lands.
It also depends on Biden passing his bills through Congress.
A White House fact sheet stated that “Build Back Better” would expand the current Abandoned Land program and finance historic remediation efforts. This would result in dramatic reductions in methane emissions from thousands of abandoned coal mines that are currently leaking.