EPA’s Methane Decision Endangers Jobs, Worker Health, and the Environment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will move forward with a rollback of regulations that prevent unnecessary methane leaks in the oil and gas industry.
The decision damages both the environment and the economy, as the BlueGreen Alliance’s report, Plugging the Leaks, showed full deployment of existing practices and technologies at new and modified oil and gas facilities could reduce methane emissions in the United States and create 50,000 jobs over the next ten years in a variety of sectors, including manufacturing.
Following that announcement, the BlueGreen Alliance released the following statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:
“At a time when America needs hope and jobs, the Trump administration again has made a decision that dashes our hope and costs us jobs. Methane leaks also expose workers to dangerous carcinogens and have an outsized contribution to making climate change worse.
“Donald Trump is throwing away 50,000 good-paying jobs manufacturing and installing the technology needed to stop leaks that are wasteful and unnecessary. Trump would rather let more methane leak into the air than create good jobs conserving it.”