EPA Announces Repackaged Attack on Beneficial Methane Standards

[September 11, 2018] PHILADELPHIA, PA – Today, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler proposed to weaken a part of EPA’s New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for the oil and gas industry, which have been the law of the land for over two years. These commonsense Obama-era safeguards are designed to limit the release of methane pollution from oil and gas infrastructure and to help protect communities from other harmful pollutants released alongside methane, such as benzene and volatile organic compounds.  

In June 2017, former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt unlawfully attempted to stay the implementation of these same methane standards by opening an “administrative reconsideration proceeding.” Clean Air Council, along with other environmental organization partners, immediately filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The court found that EPA’s action was arbitrary and capricious and without any legal justification.  With this victory, the NSPS remained in effect. The actions by Acting Administrator Wheeler prove that this public agency continues an agenda of blatant giveaways to oil and gas interests at the expense of public health and well-being.

Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director and Chief Counsel of Clean Air Council, issued the following statement:

“Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler’s efforts to weaken critical safeguards that have been working and were finalized over two years ago is dangerous and reckless.  This demonstrates that the special interests of polluters are more important to him than the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians and people across the country. Methane leaks are an issue at every stage along the oil and gas supply chain, which means that routine, comprehensive inspections are key to detecting and repairing harmful methane emissions.  By arbitrarily reducing the frequency of these cost-effective leak inspections, Acting Administrator Wheeler is allowing methane leaks to go undetected and unrepaired for longer periods of time.”

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Clean Air Council is a member- supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone’s right to breathe clean air. The Council is headquartered in Philadelphia and works through public education, community advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws. For more information, please visit www.cleanair.org.