Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the US House of Representatives passed a resolution that would reinstate the Environmental Protection Agency's 2016 methane pollution safeguards for the oil and gas industry. The Senate passed a similar resolution in April.
Methane, the primary component of fracked gas, is a climate pollutant that is 87 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at warming the planet in the near-term. Methane emissions reached record highs over the last year, and a growing body of evidence indicates that methane emissions from oil and gas are far higher than official estimates have thus far suggested. A new report released by the UN Environment Programme last month highlighted the value of reducing methane emissions in tackling the climate crisis.
Reinstating these safeguards would also limit pollution of other dangerous gases and chemicals released alongside methane, which put communities at risk of long-term negative health effects.
In response, Sierra Club Deputy Legislative Director Mahyar Sorour released the following statement:
“Today’s vote brings us one step closer to undoing the Trump administration’s reckless assaults on vital climate and public health protections. Now it is up to President Biden to sign this measure into law, and to build on these safeguards by instructing the EPA to act immediately to cut methane pollution from both new and existing oil and gas operations by 65 percent by 2025. There’s no time to waste: the urgency of the climate crisis demands these aggressive emissions reductions now.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.