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Sierra Club Sues Against Trump Repeal of BLM Methane Rule

The Sierra Club is the lead litigate, represented by Earthjustice, in lawsuit challenging the Trump administration for delaying an important Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) methane rule. The Obama-era rule regulates the release of methane from drilling operations on federal and tribal land. Methane is a greenhouse gas produced at oil and natural gas drilling wells that contributes to air pollution and climate change. The rule not only updates regulations but limits the amount of methane that can be vented, burned and wasted from oil and gas operations on federal and Native American lands.

“We have to stand up against the Trump Administration and stand up for clean air because what they’re doing breaks the law and hurts the environment. The Trump Administration is siding with the Oil and Gas industry against our public lands and public health. We must to go to court to do the job they should be doing, which is protecting our environment and the people of this country. We sued, and won, over the delay of the EPA Methane rule and now we’re suing over the delay of the BLM methane rule. We believe that just because the President tweets something, it doesn’t mean that the government can ignore their job,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club.

The Sierra Club is suing against many of the Trump Administration’s rollbacks. We successfully won a case when a Federal Court ruled that the EPA violated the Endangered Species Act (ESA) when it approved the bee-killing insecticides neonicotinoids. Besides the two methane rules, we are suing to stop Trump from delaying other important protections. These include energy efficiency standards from the Department of Energy. We are also suing to stop the Administration’s actions to promote oil and gas such as opening our coasts for offshore drilling and lifting the moratorium on new coal leases on federal land. The Sierra Club is also opposing the approvals of the Keystone and Dakota Access Pipelines in court.

“This methane rule is important to protect our lungs and our communities and it is shameful that the Trump Administration is siding with polluters in repealing it. Methane is 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. By stopping this important rule, we are losing regulations and real reductions from methane pollution from well heads to oil and gas pipelines to transmission lines. Methane leaks cause major climate impacts, while adversely affecting public health, like causing childhood asthma attacks, other respiratory ailments, and even premature death,” said Jeff Tittel. “For a state like New Jersey that has been devastated by climate change, reducing methane is even more important to help reduce the impact of sea level rise and flooding.”

Under the Obama administration, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) finalized protections last year that would require companies extracting oil and gas from public lands to reduce their methane emissions. These standards are not only a big win for public health and the climate, but also for taxpayer savings and job creation. When companies extract oil and gas from public lands, the BLM collects revenue on the public’s behalf. Inefficient practices that allow unlimited leaking of gas cost taxpayers revenue that the BLM could be collecting. The installation of technology to plug these leaks can also help to boost US manufacturing and create jobs. Forcing companies to clean up their act makes sense for our economy and for our environment. The rules would reduce pollution 340,000 to 400,000 short tons of methane in 2025, the equivalent of reducing 7.7 – 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

“It has been reported that some operations have a leakage rate as high as 9%.  Methane is leaked during drilling and transportation of natural gas and crude oil. In New Jersey, leakage often occurs from oil and gas pipelines, compressor stations, and pipelines in the street. These standards also sought to protect public health by curbing emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds and carcinogens like benzene. Natural gas pipelines are also prone to leaks and are entering through the Delaware River region, posing a serious threat to our drinking water,” said Jeff Tittel.

Not only does fracking for gas creates devastating health impacts to surrounding communities and the frack waste can end up in New Jersey. Natural gas power plants in New Jersey also contribute to methane pollution. Natural gas has 30 percent less carbon than coal when burned in the power plant, but has more methane released. The rule covers new and modified sources in the oil and gas industry, including well pads, pnuematic devices, compressors, and gathering lines. The rule will require regular leak detection and repair at all wells, a key means of reducing chronically leaky systems. Instead of pushing for destructive pipelines and fossil fuel plants, our natural gas plants need to be closed and changed to renewable to prevent all methane emissions.

“We won the last suit against Trump’s environmental attack and we will keep fighting to protect the planet we live on. Instead of working to decrease the effects of climate change and air pollution by promoting renewable energy, Trump is pushing for fossil fuel projects instead. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy will be cut a staggering 70%. This will cost our country millions of jobs and add tons more air pollution. Programs inside the Department of Energy that study energy research and development, national laboratories and radioactive waste disposal will be cut as much as 18% while militarizing nuclear science will get an increase in funding. He is cutting over a dozen programs to protect us from climate change impacts. Instead of promoting renewable and alternative energy, he’s siding with the fossil fuel industry and dirty energy,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “When the government breaks its oath of office and public trust, the only choice we have is to go to court to uphold the law and protect the interests of the people of the United States.”