Gutting methane controls will add to the toll climate change is taking on our communities

Editor's note: NYS Attorney General LetitiaJames on Aug. 29 issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's rollback of methane emissions regulations:

The Trump Administration continues its unconscionable assault on the environment, this time with another effort by the EPA to gut regulations vital to combating climate change.

Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas, and the oil and gas industry is the single largest emitter of methane in the United States. Make no mistake, gutting controls on methane will greatly contribute to climate change, and add to the flooding, fires, violent storms, and deadly toll that climate change is increasingly taking on us, our families, and our communities.

I will continue to use the full power of my office to fight back against this and the Trump Administration’s actions to harm our environment and our future.