methane – Rio Grande Chapter

New Mexicans Criticize the Trump Administration’s Reversal of EPA Oil and Gas Pollution Protections

On August 14, the US EPA finalized its proposals to eliminate methane protections from the EPA’s New Source Performance Standards. This rollback undermines EPA’s own mission by threatening public health, and disproportionately hurts Black and Brown communities who are already exposed to air pollution from oil and gas development at much higher rates – the same communities that are already suffering the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ruling reinstates Obama administration’s BLM Waste Prevention Rule

On July 16, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California invalidated the Trump Administration’s rollback of the Obama-era Waste Prevention Rule. This ruling means that the Waste Prevention Rule goes back in effect in 90 days, and the oil and gas industry will have to comply with the Rule’s requirements to prevent waste of gas on federal lands.

Court challenge: Feds cut out public on 40,802-acre NM oil and gas leases

Moving to protect the climate, public health, and to further environmental justice, a coalition filed suit to overturn the sale of leases on nearly 41,000 acres of public land in New Mexico for oil and gas drilling. The BLM did not allow a comment period on the lease sale’s draft environmental assessment, and held only a lightning-quick, 10-day protest period. In addition, the coalition charges that for this lease sale.

New Mexico Methane Action Alert

As we all deal with the uncertainty of this difficult time for our health and economy, it is more important than ever that New Mexico stays the course on critical public health initiatives to protect our children, our air and our climate. The New Mexico Environment Department and Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department are hosting an online meeting to gather public input about methane regulations and community impacts.

Greater Chaco Coalition Responds to BLM’s Broken Promises

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Farmington Field Office and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) released their long-awaited Mancos-Gallup Resource Management Plan Amendment for the Greater Chaco region on Friday, February 28, 2019. With the release of this draft plan, it’s clear the agencies have broken their many promises.

New Mexico BLM Auctions Off More Public Land For Fracking

On September 5, 2019, environmental advocates gathered in front of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) State Office in Santa Fe to protest the agency’s September 5 online auction of nearly 3,000 acres of public land in the Permian Basin of New Mexico’s Greater Carlsbad region for industrialized fracking.

New Mexicans speak out against EPA effort to erase critical climate protections

Wheeler questions EPA’s authority to regulate methane, putting climate, families at risk For Immediate Release: August 29, 2019. Contact: Camilla Feibelman, camilla.feibelman@sierraclub.org, (505) 715-8388 Today, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler proposed to eliminate direct regulation of methane, a dangerous

Signs of progress on cleaning up methane

New Mexico is taking up the slack from the Trump administration, announcing it will create rules to slash climate-damaging methane pollution from its booming oil and gas industry.

Public hearing – methane safeguards

Reducing the oil and gas industry’s methane waste is a win-win proposition. Join us and raise your voices for common-sense safeguards in this series of public hearings.

Methane Waste and Prevention Act introduced

On May 14, U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) introduced the Methane Waste and Prevention Act of 2019, a bill that would enact commonsense and cost-effective solutions to reduce methane waste and pollution from oil and gas operations on public lands, protect taxpayers, safeguard public health and mitigate climate change.

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