Congresswoman Trahan Votes to Protect Massachusetts Families from Methane Pollution

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, voted in support of S.J. Res. 14, legislation that will roll back the Trump administration's Rescission Rule and restore methane pollution standards that are critical in the fight against climate change.

"Methane is responsible for a quarter of climate change-related warming. But that didn't stop the previous administration from senselessly gutting clean air rules designed to protect the health of Americans and prevent further damage to the climate," said Congresswoman Lori Trahan. "Right now, we have a critical opportunity to undo that destructive decision and reinstate commonsense standards that prioritize the health of our families and our planet. I'm proud to join my colleagues in supporting this legislation, which will right our past wrongs, create a safer present, and pave the way for ambitious and necessary environmental standards in the future."

In 2016, the Obama Administration established commonsense regulations requiring oil and gas operations to reduce methane emissions released during the production, processing, transmission, and storage of oil and natural gas. The Trump Administration issued a rule gutting these protections, effectively eliminating methane standards across the entire oil and gas supply chain and revoking all federal air pollution limits for oil and gas transmission and storage facilities. As a result of this harmful deregulation, no Clean Air Act protections currently exist to limit dangerous methane pollution from the oil and gas sector. The Trump-era rule also attempts to block the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from ever controlling methane pollution from existing oil and gas sources.

The ramifications of leaving this issue unaddressed are detrimental to the environment and the planet as a whole. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that accelerates climate change and is roughly 84 times more powerful than carbon dioxide when measured over a 20-year period. Methane waste results in increased rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. This pollution impacts over 9 million Americans who live in frontline communities near oil and gas operations. Since the largest industrial source of methane in the U.S. is the oil and gas sector, addressing pollution from these sources is an urgent and crucial step in preventing the worst endangerment from greenhouse gas pollution and mitigating climate change.

S.J. Res. 14 will reinstate Obama-era methane pollution reduction requirements, ensuring American communities are once again protected from this dangerous health and environmental hazard, providing certainty for companies, and setting the stage for the EPA to issue bold standards that meet the challenges of the climate crisis in the future. The resolution of disapproval has earned broad support from energy companies as well as environmental, consumer, and public interest groups.

Today's vote follows bipartisan passage of the resolution in the Senate in April, meaning the Trump-era rule is rolled back. The resolution is supported by a diverse coalition of energy companies and environmental, consumer, and public interest groups.

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