Easing methane rules a bad idea for climate

Scientists tell us, in no uncertain terms, that reducing methane is the quickest and most coste ective way to help slow the rate of climate change, stop the waste of a nonrenewable resource and protect public health.

Despite this, House Republicans recently passed a troubling energyrelated package, HR 1, including a bill that would remove a hard-won program within the In ation Reduction Act that is critical to ghting climate change: the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. Fortunately, the legislation isn’t expected to move beyond the House, and President Biden pledged a veto if it did. Still, some of the detrimental ideas within the package could in uence future policy. Speaking as an elected o cial who must make decisions related to the advancing climate crisis, that is unacceptable.

Methane is a potent greenhouse

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Katherine Go gas responsible for 25% of today’s global warming. ese emissions also rob mineral owners and local, state and federal governments of valuable royalties and revenues that are needlessly wasted when they could be funding schools and public services. Methane that doesn’t leak from oil and gas facilities and pipelines is money in the bank. e Natural Gas Tax Repeal Act (HR 1141) puts polluters before public welfare, and would be a giant step backward in addressing our nation’s climate crisis.

So, what does MERP do? It imposes a fee on excessive methane emissions from oil and gas facilities, incentivizing operators to use available technology to detect and repair leaks and prevent needless waste. is fee only applies to operators with large facilities that release over 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MICHAEL DE YOANNA Editor-in-Chief michael@coloradocommunitymedia.com

SCOTT TAYLOR Metro North Editor staylor@coloradocommunitymedia.com

BELEN WARD Community Editor bward@coloradocommunitymedia.com greenhouse gas emissions each year. is year’s Earth Day theme - “Invest in Our Planet” - could not be more relevant. It was a struggle, to say the least, to get the In ation Reduction Act over the nish line last year. e IRA represents a historic

MERP is a critical enforcement mechanism for the Environmental Protection Agency’s methane emissions reduction rule. MERP requires the EPA to measure emissions from oil and gas facilities directly. is helps us understand exactly how much pollution is coming from oil and gas facilities, so we can hold operators directly accountable for the pollution they cause.

Importantly, MERP also provides $1.55 billion in funding for its implementation, which would be directed to state agencies, communities, and industry operators - all of which would go away if the misguided HR 1141 were to become law.

STEVE SMITH Sports Editor ssmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

TERESA ALEXIS Marketing Consultant Classified Sales talexis@coloradocommunitymedia.com

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager abrooks@coloradocommunitymedia.com investment in addressing the climate crisis. It includes precedent-setting programs like MERP that help create good-paying jobs and achieve climate resilience and environmental justice. ose pushing for repeal say that MERP is a tax burden for the oil and gas industry. With climate change wreaking havoc on our natural resources, an e ective mechanism must be in place to guard against unchecked methane emissions. Oil and gas pollution contributes to high ozone days on Colorado’s Front Range, resulting in such poor air quality that it’s a health hazard for our children, the elderly and vulnerable populations.

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