Alliance Member PSR Helps Secure Big Legislative Win

Congratulations to Alliance member Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) on helping to defeat a recent effort to eliminate the regulation of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in activities on federal public lands.

PSR and other health groups spoke out on the proposed elimination of the Methane Waste Rule. Senator Tom Udall thanked them immediately after the vote. Thanks to a vote of 51-49, supported by the work of PSR and others in the health field, the Methane Waste Rule will stand.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Rule limits leaks, venting, and flaring of methane from oil and gas operations—a large contributor to climate change, as methane is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

“Eliminating the methane rule was a priority for the Administration and the oil and gas industry, so a win here was exciting. The Administration had proposed to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA), a controversial tactic that allows Congress to overturn recent regulations and prohibit new regulations on the same subject without passage of congressional legislation.”

Read more about this win here.