Methane emissions from the largest oil- and natural gas-producing basins fell 44% between 2011 and 2013, according to newly published data from the Environmental Protection Agency.

According to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, methane emissions dropped in seven oil- and natural gas-producing basins by up to 87% from 2019-2023.

The drop occurred as U.S. domestic producers, led by Texas, broke records over the past few years, producing “more crude oil than any country, ever,” according to the US Energy Information Agency, The Center Square reported.

“Burning natural gas for energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) than burning coal or petroleum products to produce an equal amount of energy,” the EIA reports. “About 117 pounds of CO2 are produced per million British thermal units (MMBtu) equivalent of natural gas compared with more than 200 pounds of CO2 per MMBtu of coal and more than 160 pounds per MMBtu of distillate fuel oil.”

Facilities operating in two basins reported methane intensity emissions drops of more than 50% from 2019-2023: the Williston Basin (located in Montana, North and South Dakota), and the Appalachian Basin (spanning across Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York).

This is after methane emissions dropped by more than 75% and production increased by more than 345% over a 10-year period, The Center Square reported.