Rep. Patricia Royal Caballero House District 13 | Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
Today, a federal appeals court in Washington D.C. has halted the Trump Administration's suspension of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards that regulate pollution from the oil and gas industry. This decision is considered beneficial for children's health and climate protection.
The ruling mandates that oil and gas companies adhere to Clean Air Act standards established last year. These standards require companies to monitor their facilities for methane leaks and other pollutants, addressing any issues within 30 days. The court dismissed the EPA's attempt to delay compliance with these regulations.
Polling data from March 2017 by Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions and WPA Research indicates substantial support among Americans for federal efforts to limit methane pollution. Approximately three out of five people in Colorado, Nevada, Ohio, and Tennessee favor maintaining or enhancing these pollution standards. Similar support has been recorded in New Mexico.
This legal decision follows a recent U.S. Senate vote against repealing Bureau of Land Management (BLM) regulations aimed at reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations on public lands. The Senate's decision was influenced by significant public opposition to the proposed repeal.
The EPA acknowledged potential negative impacts on children's health if these requirements were stayed. In its notice delaying the rule, the agency stated: “the environmental health or safety risk addressed by this action may have a disproportionate effect on children.” However, it also argued that "any impacts on children’s health caused by the delay in the rule will be limited, because the length of the proposed stay is limited."
Attorney General Hector Balderas recently joined 14 other attorneys general nationwide in defending the EPA methane rule.
