Flagstaff, AZ — On November 2, 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new safeguards to reduce methane pollution.
The Grand Canyon Trust welcomes the EPA’s proposed safeguards as an important and timely step in the right direction to slow climate change. These safeguards will create efficiency, ensure fair returns on natural resources the public owns, and most importantly rein in methane and other harmful pollutants from new and existing oil and gas operations. Communities deserve to breathe clean air and drink clean water. These safeguards will help improve air quality and public health on the Colorado Plateau which historically has been polluted by oil and gas drilling and production, contributing to a large methane cloud looming over the Four Corners region.
The EPA safeguards demonstrate that we can do better, that we can protect communities from unnecessary pollution and risk and are taking the much-needed steps to address the climate crisis that is sapping the Southwest’s already scarce water resources.
While this is a step in the right direction, the proposal leaves out some important considerations, such as frequent inspections at smaller wells, that must be included in the finalized rule in order to help protect frontline communities from methane pollution, and in turn safeguard public health and limit climate change.
