Seven states plan to sue the Environmental Protection Agency.
They want the federal government to regulate methane gas
emissions from the nation's oil and gas wells. Up to now, the
EPA has preferred to rely on existing state and regional
regulations. If the EPA continues with current policies, a legal
battle will likely ensue, and that battle could reach the U.S.
Supreme Court. But no matter what happens between the litigants,
the industry will likely continue drilling and producing oil and
natural gas. In their notice of intent to sue, the states of New
York, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island and Vermont informed the EPA administrator that they
believe the EPA failed to determine whether standards of
performance are appropriate for the nation's methane emissions
from oil and natural-gas operations. The states are demanding
the EPA establish such standards and related guidelines for new
and existing sources. To provide perspective, methane is one of
the most lethal greenhouse gases