Our nation needs stricter methane regulations! June 23, 2021

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This week, the House will vote to repeal the Trump Administration’s rollback of EPA regulations on methane emissions. The Trump Administration’s decision to remove those regulations was a terrible move.

Now, Congress is taking action to restore those badly needed regulations. The Congressional Review Act resolution would restore Obama-era standards for the industry, once again requiring oil and gas companies to inspect their pipelines every six months.

The resolution has been approved by the Senate in a landmark display of bipartisanship, but faces a challenge in the House. Please ask your congressperson support regulations for methane industry inspections and continue the fight against climate change.

Methane contributes to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and has 86 times the negative effects of carbon dioxide over its first 20 years in the atmosphere. In 2019, drillers in the U.S. emitted roughly 16 million metric tons of methane, or more than $3 billion in wasted natural gas. This new regulation would help to curb these emissions, reduce damage to the environment via climate change, and do away with the needless waste of billions of dollars’ worth of natural gas.

It is estimated that with a full-scale push, the United States can cut its methane emissions in half by 2030, using the current technology. Please ask your congressperson to take steps towards this goal by supporting stricter regulations for methane industry inspections.