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Native American tribes in New Mexico are opposing an EPA rule that would reduce or remove requirements for oil and gas companies to monitor and mitigate methane releases. The Four Corners region has the highest concentration of methane emissions in the U.S. already, a problem that this rollback will only exacerbate. In San Juan County, more than half of the Native American population lives within a half-mile of an oil and gas production site. Since the new rule only covers new development, it leaves existing infrastructure unregulated.
Methane emissions have significant health impacts, especially during a pandemic that affects the respiratory system. Exposure to pollutants like particulate matter and ozone is linked to worse health outcomes from COVID-19. Despite the Navajo Nation experiencing one of the highest concentrations of the virus and a higher per capita death rate than any state, the EPA has ignored requests to delay the rule-making until acceptable consultation can occur, and plans to finalize the rule later this month.
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For most things that we’ve tracked in the Trump administration, things don’t happen by chance. We’ve seen time and time again in this administration and particularly in the Interior Department, run by a former lobbyist, that that former lobbyist’s clients tend to get favorable treatment.”
