On Monday July 30, 2018, Mexico proposed a set of standards that, if fully implemented, would cut methane pollution from the Mexican oil and gas sector by nearly half. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is 87 times more potent than carbon dioxide during the time it remains in the atmosphere.
Practices that curb methane emissions from the oil and gas industry have the added benefit of reducing other dangerous pollutants as well, such as smog-forming volatile organic compounds and air toxins like benzene and formaldehyde.
Canada also recently announced efforts to limit methane pollution from its fossil fuel industry. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is currently working to roll back two Obama-era safeguards that would protect our air, climate, and communities from harmful methane emissions released by this sector.
Heavy smoke being released from smokestacks in late afternoon (cnyvision)
In response, Sierra Club Beyond Dirty Fuels Campaign Director Kelly Martin released the following statement:
“We applaud the Mexican government, like the Canadian government before it, for taking strong steps toward reducing climate-disrupting methane pollution and other dangerous emissions. Unfortunately, Donald Trump is pushing America in the opposite direction. As our neighbors and countries around the world are taking action to address the climate crisis, Donald Trump is ceding American leadership for the sake of fossil fuel industry profits and leaving our communities and future generations to pay the price.”