WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.), ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, released the following statement on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal to weaken oil and gas emissions limits:
“Methane gas is a super-pollutant for climate change and today’s EPA action is wasteful and outrageous. Actions by EPA to weaken these commonsense, cost-effective oil and gas emission limits will increase pollution and endanger the health and well-being of surrounding communities. This short-sighted proposal is yet another example of the Trump EPA ignoring its responsibility to protect American families. This is a disturbingly consistent pattern in the Trump administration -- putting corporate polluter profits ahead of public health, even though many in industry have said they can work with the rules.
“Repairing unnecessary leaks not only makes business sense – but it is also absolutely necessary to protect the long-term health of our planet and the air we breathe. Rather than leaving these common-sense safeguards in place, which have been working for a year, the Trump EPA is prioritizing its big polluter friends at the expense of the health and well-being of New Mexicans and people across the country.”
