What Is Methane?

The EPA says methane is a hydrocarbon that is a primary component of natural gas and also a greenhouse gas, the second most abundant human-caused one after carbon dioxide at about 11 percent of global emissions, and more than 28 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. It says the largest US sources from human activities are oil and gas systems, livestock enteric fermentation and landfills.

It is a fire and explosion hazard. NIOSH describes methane as an odorless, tasteless, colorless, flammable gas that is lighter than air and ignites easily, resulting in a violent explosion that may set off further explosions where combustible coal dust is present. PHMSA's 2024 Emergency Response Guidebook guide covering it warns that such gases are extremely flammable and will form explosive mixtures with air, and notes methane is lighter than air and will rise. Federal pipeline rules require combustible gas in a distribution line to contain a natural odorant or be odorized, so that a person with a normal sense of smell can readily detect it at one-fifth of its lower explosive limit in air.

Federal rules keep shifting. The EPA published expanded oil and natural gas standards, known as OOOOb and OOOOc, on March 8, 2024, finalized a reconsideration of two aspects on April 4, 2026, and says it is developing additional proposed amendments under a broader reconsideration announced March 12, 2025. In November 2025 it took final action on a July 2025 interim final rule extending several compliance deadlines, and on May 1, 2026 it issued guidance that producers may continue routine flaring of associated gas at new oil wells in limited circumstances after the May 7, 2026 phase-out deadline.

The EPA's methane waste emissions charge rule was disapproved by Congress under the Congressional Review Act, with the resolution signed on March 14, 2025, and the EPA says the regulation no longer has any force of law. The Congressional Research Service reports that a budget reconciliation law signed July 4, 2025 changed the charge's start from emissions released in 2024 to 2034.