For many years, New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light, and countless other organizations, communities, and individuals have worked to establish national methane rules to protect our sacred land, air, and water. Despite this outpouring of effort from the public, EPA Administrator Zeldin has unlawfully used the Interim Final Rule process to delay the 2024 EPA Methane Rule. This action has taken place during a time when we gather to give thanks for the many blessings God has given us through our Earth and communities, which our lives are depended upon and blessed by. This action ignores the gifts of life and communities who are not allowed to voice their concerns about how this delay affects their health and well-being.
While New Mexico does have methane rules that help pollution, but still need greater enforcement, our neighbor Texas has nothing. Our communities suffer the effects of pollution from Texas as part of the Permian Basin that New Mexico shares with Texas. The Permian Basin is the largest active oil and gas producing area in the world.
"EPA has an ethical responsibility to care for public health and our environment. This action will only lead to greater pollution, health and climate concerns, and degradation to the future for all of the young ones for whom we are responsible to care for with all our strength. We need to continue to work and pray for new ways to act because our government currently does not care for the common good or the future." said Sister Joan Joan Brown, Community Advocate New Mexico and El Paso Interfaith Power and Light." Even though officials in the United States Government deny climate change and the suffering of communities of life, people of faith will continue to work for life now and into the future."
The "new" final rule does not fix the problems of methane pollution and did not address the thousands of comments and many concerns raised by individuals and communities over countless hours of hearings and work for over a dozen years. Many people now realize that methane pollution from the oil and gas field is at least 86 times more polluting in terms of climate change than any other single cause of climate change. Many health implications are the result of the pollution and these are facts that no denial can change.
