GreenLatinos Applauds Methane Rules Proposal

Colorado: Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed rule to cut methane leaks and other harmful pollutants discharged from new and existing oil and gas operations.

In response our Colorado State Director Ean Tafoya released the following statement:

"The Latino community overwhelmingly suffers from pollution created by the oil and gas drilling. This is a crisis that must be met with action. That is why we are pleased to see that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took an important step forward in reining in methane and other harmful air pollutants being discharged from new and existing oil and gas drilling, transport, and production sites. These new federal safeguards, which includes a requirement that all pneumatic controllers be non-emitting, will help to reduce pollution, and tackle the climate crisis.

This is a powerful signal that the Biden administration is ready to confront the climate crisis head-on by cutting methane pollution. However, the proposal  leaves important protections such as frequent inspections at smaller wells and a ban on routine flaring unaddressed.

These must be included before the proposal is finalized to ensure EPA is protecting frontline communities from pollution, safeguarding public health, holding oil and gas companies accountable, and acting on climate.  Our end-goal should be to replace all fossil fuel drilling with clean renewable energy with a just transition. There is no time to waste, and we cannot miss out on this opportunity to protect the health of our children and the future of our planet.

About Methane Rule Proposal:

• This rule, which includes a requirement that all pneumatic controllers be non-emitting, represents an important step forward and is a powerful signal that the Biden administration understands the harms of methane pollution from oil and gas operations.

• However, the proposed methane rule leaves important gaps to be filled in on critical issues such as frequent inspections for smaller wells and a ban on routine flaring.

• These must be strongly addressed before the proposal is finalized to ensure EPA is protecting frontline communities from pollution and meeting this moment to tackle the climate crisis. Anything less is a missed opportunity that could have dire consequences.

GreenLatinos is an active comunidad of Latino/a/x leaders, emboldened by the power and wisdom of our culture, united to demand equity and dismantle racism, resourced to win our environmental, conservation, and climate justice battles, and driven to secure our political, economic, cultural, and environmental liberation.