Administrator Zeldin Announces Another Oil Industry Giveaway

Lee Zeldin, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, said he would soon propose rolling back requirements that oil and gas companies prevent leaks of methane, the latest in a series of giveaways to the fossil fuel industry. 

Zeldin made the announcement at a gathering of oil and gas executives.  

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and the existing standards are a critical part of cutting the pollution causing climate change, as well as cancer-causing and smog-forming compounds that hurt nearby communities.  

The following is a comment from David Doniger, senior strategist at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“The Trump EPA is trying to give a free pass to the worst actors in the oil and gas industry. Many companies had already complied with these rules, but a few rogue actors refuse to check for leaks or monitor their equipment adequately. Those deadbeats would get bailed out by this action.  

“Methane leaks are the dumbest kind of pollution because the industry is losing the very product it is selling. That’s what made the standards so cost effective: Checking for leaks means the industry has more gas to sell. 

“These leaks are not just bad for the climate, they result in more smog and cancer-causing pollution for nearby communities. But with his announcement today, Lee Zeldin made clear that oil companies come first, while protecting families from toxic pollution and the ravages of extreme weather is not on this administration’s agenda.” 

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