Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today lauded the passage of legislation to reinstate regulations on methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. The Trump administration finalized a rollback of an Obama-era methane rule in 2020. S.J. Res 14 would overturn the prior administration’s misguided rollback of methane emission standards.
“Methane is a more dangerous greenhouse
gas than carbon dioxide—it has more than 80 times the heat-trapping potential. About 25% of human-caused global warming to date can be attributed to methane emissions. Despite the grave risks, the Trump administration went forward with a federal rule hollowing out regulations for methane emissions from oil and gas production,” said Pingree. “Without bold action to curb emissions, methane will continue to cause significant harm to public health, threaten our economy, and compromise our clean energy future. Today I voted to restore methane pollution standards and overturn the Trump administration’s dangerous rule that paved the way for increased emissions. We must continue to pursue policies that confront the climate crisis head on.”Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that accelerates climate change and is about 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide when measured over a 20-year period. The oil and gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane pollution in the U.S., releasing over 16 million metric tons of methane in 2019. Methane is released alongside toxic air pollution during oil and gas production that can worsen asthma, affect lung development in children, and increase the risk of cancer, immune system damage, and neurological, reproductive, and developmental problems.
S.J.Res 14 uses the Congressional Review Act to assess certain federal regulations and disapprove of the 2020 Methane Rescission Rule under the Trump administration and reinstate the 2012 and 2016 Oil and Natural Gas New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). The U.S. Senate passed S.J.Res 14 on April 28, 2021.
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