With 52 votes in favour and 42 against, the United States Senate called for the reintroduction of the limits that former president Barack Obama had imposed on methane emissions – a regulation subsequently repealed by Donald Trump, the predecessor of current president Joe Biden.

At the vote, which took place on Wednesday 28 April, three Republicans also expressed their support. The passage through the House expected next month is to be considered a formality, as is Biden's signature – Biden having served as vice president under Obama.

Why limiting methane leaks is crucial

Methane, the main component of natural gas, remains in the atmosphere for a shorter period of time than carbon dioxide, but is far more polluting: according to estimates, in its first twenty years in the atmosphere it has a heat-trapping capacity 80 times greater than CO2. This is why the United Nations revealed in a report how crucial it is to reduce its dispersal.

In a statement, the White House described methane as "a powerful climate-altering greenhouse gas, responsible for around one third of global warming". The statement also reads that "tackling the pollution it causes is an urgent and essential step".

Joe Biden's objectives

Biden has indeed announced the goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions produced by the United States by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. The president appears determined to engage more actively in mitigating climate change than his predecessor: first he rejoined the Paris Agreement on climate, then he allocated hundreds of billions of dollars to fund projects linked to renewable energy sources.

"When the president ratifies this vote, it will represent the first move by Congress and this administration to put climate-related policies back on the table," said Dan Grossman of the Environmental defense fund. "This is not just one of the most important votes this Congress has cast," added Chuck Schumer, senator for New York. "It is one of the most important votes of the last decade, in terms of combating global warming."

Biden, however, wants to go further: with the return of the old regulations, companies will be required to prevent and monitor methane leaks at new extraction facilities, but he is also having new rules drawn up to impose controls on leaks at already existing sites.

A collaboration with natural gas producers gets under way

The particularly positive development is that many natural gas producing companies, including Exxon, Shell and BP, also agree on the need to establish limits, because they have invested millions of dollars to promote gas as an alternative to coal, and would not want any incidents to undermine that message and reduce demand.

It is the smaller companies that harbour the greatest doubts: "The greatest impact of regulations on existing facilities will inevitably fall on smaller sites," warns Lee Fuller, executive vice president of the Independent petroleum association of America. For this reason, they will seek dialogue with Biden over the coming months to develop "flexible" regulations – ones capable of adapting to the party in question, whether a giant corporation or a small business.

We know that to win the battle to save our planet, the good guys alone are not enough – we need "the bad guys" too. This is why it is a sign of great hope to witness a collaboration of this kind, one that could truly deliver concrete results.