SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Methane is a gas that is emitted from both natural and human sources. Its concentration in the global atmosphere has more than doubled since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Methane is a short-lived climate pollutant with a lifetime of only about 12 years when released into the atmosphere. It is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, with 20 to 30 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period and more than 80 times over a 20-year period.
(b) The life-cycle greenhouse gas emission from the drilling, production, and transportation of natural gas can result in methane leaks, and there is a need for much better information on the life-cycle methane emissions resulting from California’s imports of natural gas.
(c) Recent satellite studies have shown methane hot spots in the San Joaquin Valley and higher levels of emissions than were previously estimated from the principal sources of methane in California. There is an urgent need to improve the monitoring and measurement of methane emissions from the major sources in California.