WASHINGTON (January 14, 2015) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, released the following statement after the Obama administration announced its actions to reduce methane emissions, a major contributor to climate change, as part of its Climate Action Plan:

“President Obama is committed to addressing climate change on all fronts. Today’s announcement signals the expansion of its efforts to find commonsense solutions to climate change that protect public health, the environment and American families’ pocketbooks.  Methane is a powerful global warming pollutant and contributes to smog formation, and when it escapes from old, leaky pipelines it can pose a threat to public safety. That’s why I have proposed legislation to fix our crumbling natural gas distribution system, reduce flaring on public lands and encourage the development and deployment of new technologies for detecting methane leaks. I look forward to working with the president and the broad group of stakeholders from industry, labor and consumer and environmental groups that have supported my bills to advance the administration’s proposals and additional legislative efforts.”

More information on Senator Markey’s leaky pipeline legislation can be found HERE.

A copy of a September 2014 letter sent to President Obama by Senator Markey and his colleagues on methane pollution can be found HERE.