(Bloomberg) -- California pledged $300 million to tackle methane leaks amid a broader push by the US to curb emissions of the potent greenhouse gas.

The proposal includes $200 million to help plug idle, leaking oil wells and another $100 million for methane-detecting satellites. The satellites will help track global methane leaks from fossil fuel operations, landfills and agriculture.

The state is aiming to cut emissions of the superpollutant 40% by 2030, according to an announcement at the Summit of the Americas attended by US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Governor Gavin Newsom.

Halting emissions of the greenhouse gas is viewed by scientists as some of the lowest hanging fruit in the fight against climate change. Methane has 84 times the warming power of carbon dioxide during its first two decades in the atmosphere.

Five more nations have joined a US and EU-led effort to reduce methane emissions, Kerry said. That includes Uzbekistan, one of the top 20 emitters of methane globally, according to a person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity as the information hasn’t been made public.

The US will also deploy NASA aircraft in Latin America to measure and help mitigate regional methane emissions, according to the announcement.

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