skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: Methane Poses Growing Threat to Wildlife, Outdoor Recreation

play audio
Play

Wednesday, November 16, 2016   

DENVER - Methane waste from oil and gas production threatens wildlife, but according to a new report by the National Wildlife Federation, capturing the gas also presents an economic opportunity for Colorado businesses and residents.

The report linked methane pollution's contribution to climate change to the loss of wildlife habitat and increased wildfires. Jim Murphy, the federation's senior counsel for climate and energy, said stopping waste could put Coloradans to work, provide power to more than 6 million homes nationally and generate revenues to protect wildlife.

"The capture of this methane on public lands, it ensures that a valuable public resource is not wasted because the methane can be captured," he said. "Royalties can be derived from that, that can go back into the investment of public lands."

Murphy said limiting climate pollution also makes economic sense. Wildlife watching, hunting and fishing in the United States contributes about $55 billion to the economy. On Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management finalized its rule limiting methane waste at well sites on federal and tribal lands. The federation applauded the move, estimating that it could increase royalty payments by up to $11 million a year.

Murphy pointed to Colorado's methane regulations as proof that the oil and gas industry can reduce pollution and boost its bottom line at the same time. He said the incoming Trump administration can keep the momentum going, and help wildlife and the outdoor economy, by directing the Environmental Protection Agency to implement methane rules to cut pollution from more than 200 coal-fired power plants.

"The next administration has a duty to take the next step under the Clean Air Act and put sensible limits on the reduction of methane from existing sources of oil and gas development," Murphy said.

According to the report, EPA's methane rules for new and modified oil and gas facilities would reduce as much carbon pollution as is emitted by 11 coal-fired power plants.

The report is online at nwf.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021