A recent report from Texas Climate Jobs Project and Marshall Center at University of Texas said methane mitigation could create 35,000 jobs in Texas – 20,000 jobs to implement standards of the proposed methane rule by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and 15,000 other jobs to address emissions, including 5,000 to cap orphan wells. Christopher Agbo, co-author of the report, told Midland Reporter Telegram, “We think these should be union jobs because they are very specialized… The key objective is to dispel the myth this kills jobs. We want to show cutting methane emissions is a job creator. We want to ensure these jobs are well-paid, high-quality jobs.”
The report said reducing methane emissions could increase employment in oil and gas industry by 6-to-9 percent over 2022. The largest need for workers, according to the report, will be in Permian Basin, which would need an additional 7,556 jobs.