Methane Pollution Accountability Act

This bill, known as the "Methane Pollution Accountability Act," aims to increase accountability for methane emissions by expanding the scope of gas royalties. For new leases on Federal land and the Outer Continental Shelf, it mandates that royalties be assessed on all gas produced , including gas lost through venting, flaring, or negligent releases during upstream operations. However, it provides specific exceptions for gas vented or flared during emergencies, gas used for the benefit of the lease area, or gas that is unavoidably lost. The legislation also directs the Bureau of Land Management to enforce the existing "Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation" rule from April 2024. It explicitly prohibits the finalization of a proposed rule from June 2026 concerning royalties for lost oil and gas. Additionally, the bill prevents the BLM from revising the 2024 waste prevention rule unless the Director certifies that such revisions would further minimize natural gas waste or improve air quality and public health.