EPA’s Supplemental Methane Hearing starts Today

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Take Action, Cut Methane

In November, President Biden issued an updated draft rule to cut methane and other harmful pollutants from new and existing oil and gas operations. The updated rule builds on the draft rule released by EPA in 2021, incorporates much of the feedback offered by communities in the past year, and is an important step towards addressing the climate crisis, safeguarding public health, and creating new jobs in the methane mitigation industry.

Still, there is more work to be done to ensure that the strongest possible methane safeguards are quickly finalized. EPA is hosting three virtual public hearings on January 10-12, 2023 from 10 AM–8 PM Eastern. These hearings are an important opportunity for communities across the country to make their voices heard, and demand that EPA adopts strong, comprehensive methane safeguards to protect our health and our planet.
Please use the guidance below to encourage folks to tune into the hearings this week, and highlight testimony offered by folks from across the country.

Pre-Hearing Guidance

Tomorrow: At virtual public hearings hosted by @EPA, people from across the country call for the strongest #CutMethane safeguards possible & hold polluters accountable! Our health, safety, & futures are on the line. Watch live at TIME/ZONE → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs9R9AAZkAo

Livestream Guidance

WATCH: At virtual public hearings hosted by @EPA [STATERS] are calling for the strongest safeguards possible to #CutMethane from the oil & gas industry. Tune in to learn more about how we can protect #PublicHealth & tackle the #ClimateCrisis → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs9R9AAZkAo
LIVE: Folks from across the country call on @EPA to finalize the strongest #CutMethane safeguards possible & hold polluters accountable! Our health, safety, & futures are on the line. Tune in here → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gs9R9AAZkAo

Comment Period Pivot Guidance

Can’t join the virtual public hearings on @EPA’s new proposal to #CutMethane? Don’t worry – you can still make your voice heard by submitting a comment urging @EPA to finalize the strongest safeguards possible NOW! Deadline Feb 13: https://cutmethane.org/take-action/
Did you miss your opportunity to speak at @EPA’s virtual public hearings on the #CutMethane rulemaking? There is still time to make your voice heard by submitting a public comment calling for the strongest safeguards possible. Deadline Feb 13: https://cutmethane.org/take-action/

PBS NewsHour: The challenge of tracking methane emissions

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PBS NewsHour: The COP27 climate negotiations in Egypt put a spotlight on the problem of methane emissions, which are responsible for more than a quarter of the warming on the planet today. More countries are pledging to reduce those emissions, but methane leaks remain a serious problem. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.  ( The piece features Sharon Wilson with Earthworks, and uses footage from the field in the Permian Basin).

Watch a video, read a transcript and learn more

on PBS NewsHour site.

Sister Joan Brown: New BLM Rules on Methane Fall Short

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The Interior Department has proposed rules to reduce methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on public lands, in the Biden administration’s latest move to aggressively tackle emissions of the climate-warming greenhouse gas.

The rules by the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management would impose strict monthly time and volume limits on flaring, the process of burning excess natural gas at a well, and require payment for flaring that exceeds those limits.  Read more in this artice

Here is a comment from Sister Joan Brown

“We all have an ethical and moral responsibility to care for our land, water, air, and communities, which are sacred gifts. The BLM also has a legal responsibility to eliminate the waste of public resources, and its draft waste rule has important provisions but ultimately falls short of that obligation. The rule must require oil and gas operators to eliminate routine venting and flaring for the good of Our Common Home and those who are most vulnerable.”
– Sr. Joan Brown, osf, New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light