D.C. Circuit Pauses Litigation over EPA Standards to Reduce Methane, Other Dangerous Pollution from Oil and Gas Sources

(Washington, D.C. – May 18, 2017) The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit today agreed to pause litigation over common sense standards to reduce methane and other dangerous pollution from oil and gas sources.  

“The Environmental Protection Agency’s methane standards are already providing vital public health and environmental protections to communities across America,” said Peter Zalzal, Lead Attorney for Environmental Defense Fund, which is a party to the case. “We will continue to stand with Americans across the country to defend these clean air measures against any attempts to weaken or undermine them.”

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency finalized standards last year to substantially reduce methane pollution from new and modified oil and gas facilities. The standards also reduce significant amounts of other dangerous pollutants, including smog-forming volatile organic compounds and toxic air pollutants like benzene. 

Oil and gas industry groups and several states challenged the standards in court. Last month, the Trump Administration asked the court to delay considering that litigation while the Environmental Protection Agency reviews and reconsiders – and likely weakens – the standards.

Today the court agreed to indefinitely delay the litigation (or “hold it in abeyance”). The court ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to report on its review every 60 days. 

These vital methane standards are in full force and effect providing cleaner, healthier air for families and communities across our nation.

The methane standards enjoy broad and cross-cutting public support, and they leverage proven methods for reducing emissions – using highly cost-effective technologies that help to capture natural gas that would otherwise be wasted. 

The standards reflect best practices that are firmly grounded in law and science and are already required by several major energy-producing states — including Colorado and Wyoming.

You can find more information – including all legal documents in the case – on EDF’s website.