Heinrich Welcomes Bipartisan, Industry Support To Reinstate Responsible Methane Emissions Standards

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) welcomed bipartisan support from U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) for a resolution of disapproval, under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), he introduced with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) to reinstate Obama-era regulations of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry—the largest source of this powerful greenhouse gas in the United States. 

Despite data showing large increases in methane emissions from oil and gas production in recent years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump administration completed a rollback of critical methane emissions regulations created during the Obama administration that weakened and in some cases eliminated altogether requirements that oil and natural gas companies limit methane and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from their operations. 

Under the CRA, which allows Congress to review and disapprove certain federal regulations, the resolution of disapproval of the 2020 Methane Rescission Rule under the Trump administration would largely reinstate the 2012 and 2016 Oil and Natural Gas New Source Performance Standards (NSPS). Specifically, the CRA would reinstate the methane requirements for the industry’s production and processing segments and the methane and VOC requirements for the transmission and storage segments. 

“I’m pleased to have bipartisan support from my colleague Senator Collins to reinstate responsible methane emission standards. Methane is a leading cause of the climate crisis. But even absent its consequences for climate change, methane leaks waste valuable energy resources and harm public health. When methane leaks from oil and gas wells, harmful carcinogens like benzene leak into the air alongside it. That means children are suffering more asthma attacks, and seniors are having trouble breathing,” said Heinrich. “By passing this bipartisan resolution of disapproval, Congress would be taking swift action to confront the climate crisis and reduce the air pollution harming our communities.”

“I have long been a supporter of efforts to reduce pollution and tackle climate change. Methane, which makes up about ten percent of greenhouse gas emissions, is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide and is highly destructive to the climate,”said Collins. “This resolution would help protect public health and the environment by restoring the tougher standards at EPA that significantly decreased methane emissions.”

More and more leading companies in the oil and gas industry have come forward to say that they would welcome reinstating the EPA’s methane emissions standards, including Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, Shell US, BP, Equinor North America, Total USA, EQT Corporation, Equitrans Midstream Corporation, and Cheniere Energy Inc.

In addition to Heinrich, Schumer, King, Markey, and Collins, the resolution is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Gary Peters (D-Mich.).

U.S. Representative Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) is the sponsor of a companion resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Click here for a PDF of the resolution.