E.P.A. to Lift Obama-Era Controls on Methane

[Rogue Valley]

E.P.A. to Lift Obama-Era Controls on Methane, a Potent Greenhouse Gas | New York Times

The reversal is the latest move in the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to weaken environmental rules.

Trump EPA Director Andrew Wheeler.

8/10/20
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is expected in the coming days to lift Obama-era controls on the release of methane, a powerful climate-warming gas that is emitted from leaks and flares in oil and gas wells. The new rule on methane pollution, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, has been expected for months, and will be made public before Friday, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously to avoid publicly pre-empting the official announcement. The rollback of the methane rule is the latest move in the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to weaken environmental standards, which has continued unabated during the coronavirus pandemic. In April, the E.P.A. weakened rules on the release of toxic chemicals from coal-fired power plants, loosened curbs on climate-warming tailpipe pollution and opted not to strengthen a regulation on industrial soot emissions that have been linked to respiratory diseases, including Covid-19. In July, President Trump unilaterally weakened one of the nation’s bedrock conservation laws, the National Environmental Policy Act, limiting public review of federal infrastructure projects in an effort to speed up the permitting process for freeways, power plants and pipelines.

E.P.A. officials say the new, weaker methane rule is needed to free the oil and gas industry from what they call crippling regulations at a moment when companies are suffering from plummeting prices and falling demand driven by a sharp global economic slowdown. The weakening of the rule, however, has been in the works for more than a year. Environmentalists called the move another blow by Mr. Trump to the planet’s warming climate, coming behind reversals of rules on climate-warming carbon dioxide pollution from tailpipes and power plants, and the United States withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement. Methane currently makes up nearly 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. A significant portion of that comes from the oil and gas industry, although other sources include cattle and agriculture.

For everyone who believes the quality of our [air/land/water] environment is important, be aware that the Trump administration has been very busy during the past four years removing pollution regulations on polluting industries.

This is Trump/GOP rewarding their corporate campaign donors. It is a quid pro quo system - donate to Republican candidates and in turn we will remove pollution regulations to make your company more profitable.

After Trump's original EPA Director [Scott Pruitt] resigned due to corruption, Trump appointed Andrew Wheeler who was previously the Washington lobbyist for Murray Energy, the largest coal company in the US. Wheeler has been very busy eviscerating the EPA and removing pollution regulations on fossil fuels.

 

[Drawdown]

E.P.A. to Lift Obama-Era Controls on Methane, a Potent Greenhouse Gas | New York Times

The reversal is the latest move in the Trump administration’s ongoing effort to weaken environmental rules.

Trump EPA Director Andrew Wheeler.



For everyone who believes the quality of our [air/land/water] environment is important, be aware that the Trump administration has been very busy during the past four years removing pollution regulations on polluting industries.

This is Trump/GOP rewarding their corporate campaign donors. It is a quid pro quo system - donate to Republican candidates and in turn we will remove pollution regulations to make your company more profitable.

After Trump's original EPA Director [Scott Pruitt] resigned due to corruption, Trump appointed Andrew Wheeler who was previously the Washington lobbyist for Murray Energy, the largest coal company in the US. Wheeler has been very busy eviscerating the EPA and removing pollution regulations on fossil fuels.

Livestock and Taco Bell will add more methane loads to the atmosphere than cars.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Livestock and Taco Bell will add more methane loads to the atmosphere than cars.

:roll: You'll notice no citations.