EPA IG – Report No. 14-P-0324 – July 25, 2014: “We conducted this evaluation to determine what actions the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken to reduce methane emissions from leaking pipelines in the natural gas distribution sector. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential 25 times that of carbon dioxide. In June 2013, President Obama issued the Climate Action Plan, which states that “curbing emissions of methane is critical to our overall effort to address global climate change.” In 2012, the EPA reported that methane leaks from pipelines in the natural gas distribution sector accounted for more than13 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. These leaks are comprised of natural gas product, which is almost 100 percent methane, and account for more than10 percent of total methane emissions from natural gas systems.”