June 2, 2025
Columbus Leads the Way in Methane Mitigation, Can the Rest of Ohio Follow?
This blog is part of our “Cut Methane” series.
In the face of rising global temperatures, methane is finally getting the attention it deserves, and not a moment too soon. This potent greenhouse gas is over 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Methane is responsible for about 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times, and is often released silently into the air from oil and gas sites, landfills, farms, and even our sewer systems. But here in Ohio, one city is taking bold action.
Columbus is pioneering a first-in-the-state solution to tackle fugitive methane emissions from its wastewater treatment system. By upgrading anaerobic digesters at the Jackson Pike facility and converting the captured biogas into renewable natural gas (RNG), the city will significantly cut methane pollution and use the captured methane to fuel city vehicles, turning a potent pollutant into a practical solution.
Waste Not
Methane is the primary component of natural gas, and when it escapes during oil and gas production, flaring, landfilling, or wastewater treatment, it contributes heavily to climate change. In 2023 alone, U.S. oil and gas operations released over 16 million tons of methane. That’s enough wasted energy to meet the annual needs of 19 million American homes.
However, most of this methane loss is avoidable. The International Energy Agency estimates the oil and gas industry could reduce its worldwide emissions by 75%, and up to two-thirds of those reductions can be done at zero net cost with technologies that are available today.
Columbus is proving that this holds true beyond oil fields. By treating biogas as a valuable resource, rather than a waste product, the city will not only reduce emissions but also save money and support high-quality local jobs in methane mitigation.
Connecting the Local to the National
While cities like Columbus are stepping up, the U.S. Congress is actively working to roll back progress. In May of 2025, the U.S. House passed a budget bill that would delay or defund parts of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, including the commonsense “methane polluter fee”, which holds big oil and gas companies accountable for excessive emissions.
This is part of a broader effort to gut the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA) authority to regulate greenhouse gases by attacking the Endangerment Finding. This scientific foundation enables the agency to address methane and other pollutants under the Clean Air Act.
These federal attacks are out of touch with the majority of people in the U.S. who want to keep the methane polluter fee in place and hold big polluters accountable. This reality makes local innovation even more urgent, and all the more worth celebrating. When federal protections are under threat, states and cities must lead.
Ohio’s Opportunity
The harmful effects of methane pollution compound even further. It’s often released with hazardous air pollutants like benzene, a known carcinogen, and volatile organic compounds that form smog and worsen respiratory diseases like asthma. That’s why communities living near extraction sites or landfills, especially in Appalachia and parts of southeast Ohio, face heightened health risks and economic burdens.
Columbus’s methane project helps reduce these risks while building a cleaner, more resilient energy future. It’s a reminder that climate solutions can and should be community solutions too.
Columbus is not alone. Cities like Cincinnati, Toledo, and Akron, all of which operate wastewater treatment facilities and own vehicle fleets have similar opportunities to:
- Capture and convert methane into usable energy
- Reduce long-term operational costs
- Protect frontline communities from air pollution
- Create high-quality, local jobs in the methane mitigation industry
Nationally, the methane mitigation sector has seen rapid growth, with a 24% increase in companies and 39% increase in job locations in the last three years. With Ohio’s existing natural gas infrastructure and technical capacity, we are well-positioned to become a national leader in methane mitigation, if we have the forward looking vision and political will to lead.
What Can You Do
- Tell your members of Congress to Protect the methane polluter fee and the Endangerment Finding. Don’t let polluters off the hook.
- Urge the Ohio EPA to develop and enforce a strong state implementation plan that holds the oil and gas industry accountable for methane emissions. Ohio must lead with science-based standards and real enforcement, not loopholes.
- Ask your city council or utility board: Is your community capturing methane at your wastewater or landfill sites? Are you applying for federal funds to help?
- Follow OEC for methane updates and share Columbus’s success story. Show others what’s possible when a city puts people, planet, and public health first.
We applaud Columbus for taking a stand against one of the most dangerous and under-regulated climate pollutants. With proven technology, public support, and a clear path forward, cutting methane is one of the fastest, most effective tools we have to slow global warming right now. Let’s make sure all of Ohio follows suit.
