The Obama administration proposed the first federal limits on methane emissions from oil wells and other parts of the oil and natural gas system Tuesday, opening a new front in the president’s campaign to limit heat-trapping greenhouse gases and slow global warming.

The rules address what has long been a concern from residents and environmental groups amid the U.S. energy boom of the past decade, which has brought millions of oil and gas wells, pipelines, compressor stations and other industrial facilities to rural communities across the U.S.: the escape of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and volatile organic compounds, which can cause a range of health issues.

The measures proposed Tuesday would cut methane emissions by 20-30 percent from measures leveled in 2012 by forcing and encouraging oil and gas companies to find and repair gas leaks, capture gas seeping from completed wells, and limit emissions from pumps, compressor stations and other facilities. They would also curtail the emission of VOCs.

Estimated to cost $320 million to $420 million in 2025, they are part of President Barack Obama’s 2014 pledge to cut methane pollution from the oil and gas sector by 40-45 percent in the next decade.

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“We are underscoring our commitment to reducing the pollution fueling climate change and protecting public health while supporting responsible energy development, transparency and accountability,” Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement. “Cleaner-burning energy sources like natural gas are key compliance options for our Clean Power Plan and we are committed to ensuring safe and responsible production that supports a robust clean energy economy.”

Methane is less abundant than carbon dioxide — making up just 9 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions — but it is more than 25 times more effective at trapping heat and contributing to global warming, according to the EPA. About 30 percent of the nation’s methane emissions stem from oil and natural gas production, transmission and distribution.

The sector is the nation's largest industrial source of methane, leaking about 7 million metric tons a year from pipelines, wells and compressors, or enough natural gas to supply about 6 million homes annually.

But those numbers may be far short of reality: Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, has greatly multiplied the number of wells, compressor stations and other facilities — often located in close proximity to homes — and a study published Tuesday confirmed a prior finding that the EPA has “consistently underestimated” methane emissions by as much as 50 percent.

“This is a critical step toward protecting our climate and public health. EPA is taking on a pollutant responsible for 25 percent of the warming we are experiencing today," Environmental Defense Fund president Fred Krupp said in a statement.

Oil and gas companies and industry trade groups have largely opposed federal limits on methane emissions. Colorado and Wyoming each enacted methane rules, and companies argue these state-level regulations, combined with voluntary compliance, are sufficient to curtail the amount of methane leaking into the atmosphere.

“The oil and gas industry is leading the charge in reducing methane,” American Petroleum Institute president and CEO Jack Gerard said in a statement. “The last thing we need is more duplicative and costly regulation that could increase the cost of energy for Americans. Even as oil and natural gas production has surged, methane emissions from hydraulically fractured natural gas wells have fallen nearly 79 percent since 2005, and CO2 emissions are down to 27-year lows."

Industry participation in voluntary federal programs, however, has been lackluster at best: Of more than 10,000 oil and gas producers, fewer than 40 participate in the EPA’s Natural Gas STAR program.

“Participation in voluntary programs by industry is almost non-existent,” the Environmental Defense Fund said in a statement. “Voluntary measures by industry to reduce methane emissions are welcome – but completely insufficient to tackle the problem.”

The methane and VOC rules build on and expand measures issued in 2012 limiting emissions from the oil and gas industry. The EPA estimated that they will yield as much as $550 million in benefits, both by encouraging industry to capture fugitive natural gas it can then sell, and by reducing health costs for residents living near leak sites.

The agency declined to state, however, how it planned to further reduce methane emissions to achieve the president’s goal of a 40-45 percent cut.