NY, 6 other states suing EPA over drilling methane
Posted at: 12/11/2012 2:57 PM
By: AP
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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - New York and six other states plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over methane emissions from oil and gas drilling.
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman claims in a news release Tuesday that the EPA is violating the Clean Air Act by failing to address the emissions. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Other major sources come from landfills and livestock.
Howard Feldman, a spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute, says the lawsuit "makes no sense" since the EPA has already passed rules on methane emissions.
Federal climate researchers say they haven't yet seen signs that increased drilling is affecting global methane levels, but they're worried about the threat.
Schneiderman says Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont joined in sending a required 60-day notice to EPA.
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
