FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Santa Fe, N.M. – Today, the Trump administration proposed a new Methane and Waste Prevention Rule, which guts the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 2016 rule. The rule aims to limit wasteful venting and flaring of methane from oil and gas operations on public lands. This impacts New Mexicans directly due to the Four Corner’s “hot spot,” a cloud of methane the size of Delaware, hanging over the San Juan Basin. Conservation Voters New Mexico Executive Director Demis Foster released the following statement:
“Last year, hundreds of New Mexicans took thousands of actions, expressing their overwhelming support for pollution standards to reduce methane waste and keep our air clean. In addition, a bipartisan group of members of Congress rejected the type of special interest pandering that the Trump administration put on display today by proposing to severely weaken the BLM’s Methane and Waste Prevention Rule,” says Demis Foster, CVNM Executive Director. “The Trump administration continues to put the worst actors in the oil and gas industry ahead of taxpayers, Western communities and hard-working families. In light of these dangerous actions at the federal level, we urge action at the state level to address methane pollution and protect the health of our families.”
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Media Contact: Liliana Castillo at 505-992-8683 or liliana@cvnm.org