Heinrich, Luján Join Colleagues in Urging EPA to Strengthen Methane Actions

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) joined colleagues in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging the agency to strengthen its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production and to implement key provisions of the Methane Emission Reduction Program without delay.

Senators Heinrich and Luján were joined by U.S. Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Angus King (I-Maine), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

The lawmakers wrote: “We strongly support the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) critical work to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas production, and we encourage you to seize existing opportunities to drive sharp reductions in emissions of this potent greenhouse gas. Longstanding provisions of the Clean Air Act, together with the amendments Congress recently adopted in the Inflation Reduction Act, require EPA to implement a comprehensive program to reduce oil and gas methane emissions.

They continued: “We urge you to swiftly finalize the proposed rules, with the addition of effective requirements to end wasteful routine flaring of gas, and rapidly implement the regulatory updates and financial support required under the Methane Emission Reduction Program in the Inflation Reduction Act … Each of the facets of EPA’s work to reduce methane and other greenhouse gas emissions from oil and gas production that we have highlighted here is vital to our efforts to slow climate change.”

The full text of the letter is available here.

###