US states file lawsuit challenging Trump’s decision on emissions

On 14 September, California and 19 other US states filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to reduce curbs on emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas (GHG) methane from oil and gas (O&G) operations.

The US states filed the lawsuit saying that the widespread West Coast wildfires should be a reminder of the dangers posed as a result of climate change, Reuters reported.

Announcing the lawsuit, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra was quoted by the news agency as stating: “Our climate emergency is increasingly a public health emergency. The toll of the natural disaster we face from unprecedented wildfires is increasingly measured in human life.

“Our climate emergency is increasingly a public health emergency. The toll of the natural disaster we face from unprecedented wildfires is increasingly measured in human life.”

Trump’s Democratic rival Joe Biden branded the US President a ‘climate arsonist’ on 14 September during his campaign on climate change, adding that Trump is ‘failing to acknowledge global warming’s role in deadly wildfires’ sweeping the western US.

Trump said the crisis is a result of a lack of forest management.

Reuters said that the latest lawsuit targets two policy amendments announced by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in August that roll back methane emission curbs on the O&G industry.

Last month, the US administration reportedly rolled back regulations aimed at reducing methane emissions as part of plans to unwind environmental rules before November’s presidential election.

In April, American multinational oil and gas firm ExxonMobil said it is field testing eight detection technologies to reduce methane gas emissions.

In February 2019, Dominion Energy committed to reducing methane emissions from its natural gas infrastructure by 50% by 2030.