Teams File Lawsuit Difficult Trump EPA Last Rule That Delays Methane Air pollution Protections from Oil and Gasoline Business

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Illegal Delay Ignores Well being Dangers, Vitality Waste, Widespread Opposition

Contact

Sierra Membership — Shannon Van Hoesen, shannon.vanhoesen@sierraclub.org
Environmental Protection Fund — Sharyn Stein, sstein@edf.org
Clear Air Job Pressure — Samantha Sadowski, ssadowski@catf.us
Middle for Organic Variety — Jason Rylander, jrylander@biologicaldiversity.org
Earthjustice — Alexandria Trimble, atrimble@earthjustice.org
Environmental Regulation & Coverage Middle — Karsten Neumeister, kneumeister@elpc.org
NRDC (Pure Assets Protection Council) — Mark Drajem, MDrajem@nrdc.org

(Contact Earthworks by Clear Air Job Pressure)
(Contact Clear Air Council, Dakota Useful resource Council, Meals & Water Watch, Fort Berthold POWER and GreenLatinos by Earthjustice)

Washington, DC — Well being, atmosphere, and group teams have filed a lawsuit within the U.S. Court docket of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit difficult the Trump EPA’s rushed and illegal last rule to delay protections in opposition to methane air pollution from the oil and fuel business.

The rule would delay implementation of lots of the necessities within the 2024 U.S. EPA methane requirements — which maintain harmful air pollution out of our air and scale back wasted vitality from oil and fuel leaks, venting and flaring — regardless of widespread group opposition, deep issues about dangers to human well being, and a pending lawsuit difficult an Interim Last rule introduced by the Trump administration earlier this 12 months that contained equivalent extensions for lots of the similar deadlines.

Methane, the primary element of pure fuel, is a local weather pollutant that’s 80 instances extra highly effective than carbon dioxide. It’s liable for virtually 30% of the worldwide warming that now we have skilled to this point, and it’s serving to drive local weather change and its worsening floods, wildfires, heatwaves and different extreme climate occasions which can be harming individuals throughout the nation.

The 2024 requirements scale back methane air pollution by commonsense steps like requiring leak detection and repairs. These steps additionally scale back the emissions of different harmful pollution, together with smog and soot-forming unstable natural compounds and poisonous air pollution that trigger most cancers. And, as a result of methane is the first ingredient of pure fuel, failure to deal with venting, flaring, and leaks led to about $3.5 billion value of wasted pure fuel — 16 million metric tons of methane — in 2023 alone. Each giant and unbiased producers have gone on file in assist of federal methane regulation, and main oil and fuel producing states together with Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and New Mexico have already been implementing the requirements.

In July, Administrator Zeldin introduced that he would use the Interim Last Rule course of to delay necessities for corporations to adjust to the methane requirements for so long as 18 months — though the requirements had already been in place for greater than a 12 months, and though EPA’s personal truth sheet famous the delay would result in extra air pollution: “The EPA estimates that the next emissions reductions won’t happen from 2028-2038 because of the interim last rule: 3.8 million tons of methane, 960,000 tons of unstable natural compounds (VOCs), and 36,000 tons of poisonous air pollutant.” EPA additionally supplied no alternative for public enter till after the Interim Last Rule delay took impact, in violation of the regulation.

13 well being, atmosphere and group teams — Environmental Protection Fund, Middle for Organic Variety, Clear Air Council, Clear Air Job Pressure, Dakota Useful resource Council, Earthjustice, Earthworks, Environmental Regulation & Coverage Middle, Meals & Water Watch, Fort Berthold Protectors of Water and Earth Rights (Fort Berthold POWER), GreenLatinos, NRDC (Pure Assets Protection Council) and Sierra Membership — filed a lawsuit difficult that Interim Last rule. That lawsuit continues to be pending within the U.S. Court docket of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Then every week in the past, late within the afternoon on the day earlier than Thanksgiving, EPA introduced its Last Rule, which additionally delays implementation of the methane protections by 18 months.

Yesterday, the identical day the Last Rule was printed within the Federal Register, the identical teams filed one other lawsuit within the D.C. Circuit difficult it.

Quotes from Petitioners

“In 2023 oil and fuel corporations wasted sufficient pure fuel to cowl all heating and cooking wants at 19 million properties. That’s the equal of each residence in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The 2024 methane requirements are already working to stop that pointless waste of American vitality — whereas lowering air pollution, defending individuals’s well being, and reducing dangers from climate disasters fueled by local weather change. People deserve cleaner air and fewer vitality waste, however the Trump EPA’s Last Rule rushes us in the wrong way. We are going to vigorously oppose this illegal motion.” —Rosalie Winn, Senior Director and Lead Counsel of Methane and Clear Air Coverage, Environmental Protection Fund

“This unlawful delay of the Methane Rule ignores not solely the regulation however the perfect pursuits of the Folks. Methane emission reductions profit the atmosphere, public well being, and even oil and fuel business’s earnings. Which makes EPA’s resolution greater than arbitrary and capricious, however simply plain absurd.” —Lauren E. Otero, Esq., Clear Air Council

“Now is just not the time to decelerate efforts to scale back air pollution. Now we have lengthy identified that rapidly and considerably lowering methane emissions is essential to avoiding the worst results of local weather change, and now we have the instruments at our disposal to take action now — all whereas lowering air air pollution that harms communities residing and dealing close to oil and fuel services. Regardless of the numerous will increase in methane, VOCs, and different pollution — and the timelines EPA decided had been the perfect strategy final 12 months — the administration has determined to facet with polluters on the expense of public well being and the local weather.” —Mary Sasso, lawyer, Clear Air Job Pressure

“Methane is a local weather killer and a public well being menace. We’re taking the Trump administration to court docket as a result of delaying efforts to rein on this tremendous pollutant is illegal, irresponsible and can hurt each individuals and the planet.” —Jason Rylander, Authorized Director, Middle for Organic Variety’s Local weather Regulation Institute

“The Trump Administration continues to prioritize company polluters’ backside traces over peoples’ well being. This illegal motion can not stand.” —Alexandra Schluntz, Senior Lawyer, Earthjustice

“As a substitute of defending the individuals harmed by oil and fuel air pollution, the Trump EPA is as soon as once more selecting to guard polluters. Delaying methane safeguards means extra poisonous air, extra climate-driven disasters, and extra avoidable hurt to households residing close to drilling. Communities deserve well timed protections not one other giveaway to the oil and fuel business.” —Lauren Pagel, Coverage Director, Earthworks

“The Trump EPA’s last methane emissions rule backslides to inaction on wasted vitality and poisonous emissions that the oil and fuel business has the instruments to manage. Communities throughout the Midwest — significantly these close to drilling and processing websites in states like Michigan and North Dakota — will face pointless and continued publicity to dangerous air pollution and elevated well being dangers. EPA’s new rule is illegal and needlessly prioritizes oil and fuel pursuits on the expense of the well being, well-being, and high quality of lifetime of our communities.” —Wendy Bloom, Senior Lawyer, Environmental Regulation & Coverage Middle

“Delaying methane guidelines means extra contaminated air, extra severe well being issues, and deeper hurt for working class communities on the frontlines of oil and fuel air pollution. Defending individuals requires enforcement, not delay.” —Meisei Gonzalez, Local weather Justice & Clear Air Advocate, GreenLatinos

“By catering to some rogue actors within the business and suspending these guidelines, EPA is blatantly violating the regulation. If that is allowed to face, the local weather disaster will worsen and communities throughout the nation shall be choked in additional smog.” —Meredith Hankins, federal local weather authorized director, NRDC

“EPA’s methane rule is a important safeguard that protects our households and communities from each unclean air and the devastating impacts of local weather change. By delaying its implementation over a 12 months and a half after it was finalized, Administrator Lee Zeldin is promoting out our households and communities whereas giving one more handout to the oil and fuel business. We are going to vigorously battle this motion in court docket to make sure that the general public receives the complete — and well timed — advantage of the methane rule.” —Andres Restrepo, Sierra Membership Senior Lawyer

Concerning the Sierra Membership

The Sierra Membership is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental group, with thousands and thousands of members and supporters. Along with defending each individual’s proper to get outside and entry the therapeutic energy of nature, the Sierra Membership works to advertise clear vitality, safeguard the well being of our communities, shield wildlife, and protect our remaining wild locations by grassroots activism, public training, lobbying, and authorized motion. For extra info, go to www.sierraclub.org.