The regulations, issued through the US Environmental Protection Agency, are part of the administration's ongoing efforts to curb climate change.
The rule would reduce methane emissions from oil and gas drilling by 40 to 45 percent by 2025, compared to 2012 levels.
It requires energy producers to find and repair leaks at oil and gas wells and capture gas that escapes from wells that use the common drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.
EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said the new rule would "protect public health and reduce pollution linked to cancer and other serious health effects while allowing industry to continue to grow and provide a vital source of energy for Americans across the country."
Methane, the key component of natural gas, tends to leak during oil and gas production.
While it makes up just a sliver of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, scientists say it is far more detrimental than carbon dioxide when it comes to trapping heat in the atmosphere.
Officials estimate the rule would cost the industry about $530 million in 2025. Those costs would be outweighed by reduced health care costs and other benefits totaling about $690 million, officials estimate.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
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