We can all breathe a little easier

Dear Friend,

I’m so pleased to report that President Biden just signed my resolution to restore strong EPA methane emissions standards for the oil and gas industry. This is a huge victory in meeting our responsibility to curb greenhouse gas pollution, and it will make a real difference in cleaning up the air over impacted communities in New Mexico.

Late last year, President Trump dismantled the EPA rules that required oil and gas producers to monitor their operations for methane leaks. That was a total disaster for our climate and for public health. Methane has over 80 times the global warming potency as carbon dioxide and is responsible for around a quarter of human-caused global warming since the 1850s. Fugitive methane also harms public health by polluting the air we breathe, leading to more children suffering from asthma attacks and more seniors experiencing trouble breathing.

As we transition toward a 100 percent clean energy future, we must do all we can to mitigate the harmful pollution caused by our current use of fossil fuels. Now that the EPA can restore clear rules and standards, oil and gas producers and distributors will once again be required to prevent waste and dangerous leaks of methane from their equipment.

While this is a major first step on climate action, it cannot be the last. Congress needs to build on this momentum by taking up and passing all of the big and bold clean energy and climate resilience investments in President Biden's American Jobs Plan. We can power our economic recovery by putting millions of Americans to work building a clean energy economy, restoring our landscapes, and creating a greenhouse pollution-free future.

I will keep doing everything in my power to pass real solutions that will help us confront the most existential challenge of our time and leave our children and theirs with a healthier planet to call home.

Sincerely,

MARTIN HEINRICH
United States Senator