Energy and Environment Latest News

Promoting Science-Based Stewardship, Security, and Opportunity in the Arctic Region

Today, President Obama issued an Executive Order to help coordinate Arctic-related activities across the Federal Government and enhance collaboration with State, local, and Alaska Native tribal governments and similar Alaska Native organizations, academic and research institutions, and the private and nonprofit sectors.

The Arctic region provides critical ecological, cultural, and economic services to our Nation. Arctic-based activities that advance the national interest range from defense and security, to maritime safety; to environmental stewardship; the promotion of science and research, and more.

But we know based on decades of rigorous scientific research that climate change is causing the Alaskan Arctic to warm twice as rapidly as the rest of the United States – and that climate change will continue to transform the Arctic in the future as its consequences grow more severe. Dramatic seasonal reduction in Arctic sea ice, widespread glacier retreat, acidifying oceans, earlier spring snowmelt, and thawing permafrost are changing the ways people can access, live, and work in this remote region. 

At the same time, there are significant changes in the social, economic, and political landscapes across the Arctic. Many Northern communities are keen to protect and sustain their unique cultures and relationship with the land and ocean, but they also recognize the need to embrace economic opportunities to support improvements in their wellbeing. We are interested in working with these communities to explore new opportunities for economic development while protecting the region that is their home and the core of their cultural heritage.

The United States has a responsibility to strengthen international cooperation in the Arctic, mitigate the greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change, better understand and manage the impacts of climate change in this region, develop and manage resources responsibly, and serve as stewards for valuable and vulnerable ecosystems.

New Actions to Reduce Methane Emissions Will Curb Climate Change, Cut Down on Wasted Energy

The United States is now the largest oil and natural gas producer in the world, and developing these cleaner-burning fuel sources to light and heat American homes and businesses is crucial to the President’s energy strategy. But while these important energy sources produce less carbon pollution overall, methane leaks throughout the oil and gas system are fueling climate change — and wasting valuable fuel that should be captured and used.

Methane — the primary component of natural gas and the third-largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions — is a potent climate pollutant, trapping 25 times as much heat as carbon pollution over the course of a century. The good news is emissions from the oil and gas sector are down 16 percent since 1990. However, without additional action, emissions from this sector are projected to rise more than 25 percent by 2025.

That’s why, today, the Obama administration is announcing an ambitious new goal to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40-45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. Achieving this goal would save up to 180 billion cubic feet of wasted natural gas in 2025 — enough to heat more than 2 million homes for an entire year.