What You Should Know Methane: A Dangerous Problem, An Easy Solution “You can’t turn your head when somebody else is being hurt by decisions that you make.”

Scott Goldsmith for Earthjustice Lois Bower-Bjornson lives in Scenery Hill, Pennsylvania. Her home is surrounded by well pads, compressor stations, and multiple pipelines.

What You Should Know Methane: A Dangerous Problem, An Easy Solution “You can’t turn your head when somebody else is being hurt by decisions that you make.”

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, trapping 86 times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. In fact, nearly 20 percent of the planet’s warming can be attributed to methane. And, because it’s often paired with other toxic pollutants such as benzene, formaldehyde and ethylbenzene, the release of methane into the air can cause debilitating health problems for the millions of people who live near oil and gas operations. Each year, fossil fuel companies leak or deliberately vent 13 million metric tons of methane into the atmosphere during oil and gas operations, which, according to a new study, is 60% more than the EPA has estimated. Oil, gas and coal production are the largest industrial sources of methane emissions.

Despite the fact that proven, low-cost solutions exist to cut this dangerous and wasteful pollution, the Trump administration is doing everything it can to allow fossil fuel companies to release harmful methane emissions into our air.

In July 2020, a federal court ruled that key methane emissions regulations that the Trump administration tried to gut must go back into effect in 90 days Those regulations were put in place by the Bureau of Land Management, which estimated that they would reduce methane emissions by up to 180,000 tons annually — and save taxpayers $330 million per year by requiring more gas to be brought to market, increasing royalty revenues for states, tribes, and local governments. Earthjustice represented tribal and conservation citizen groups in the successful lawsuit against the rollback.

The Trump administration recently rolled back similar methane standards put in place by the EPA in 2016. These standards, which were the first nationwide requirements for the oil and gas industry to reduce methane emissions from its operations, came after years of legal advocacy by Earthjustice. They were projected to reduce the equivalent of 11 million metric tons of carbon pollution by 2025 and save Americans a net of $170 million in costs related to methane pollution.

Earthjustice will continue to partner with communities on the frontlines of methane pollution, who view these government safeguards as vital tools in their fight for the very air they breathe. Below are the stories of communities across the country who are fighting alongside Earthjustice to protect themselves against oil and gas industry pollution.