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Wednesday, April 23, 2025

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Marco Rubio unveils massive State Dept. overhaul with reductions of staff and bureaus; Visas revoked, status changed for international students in TX; Alaska lawmakers work to improve in-school mental health care; Montana DEQ denies Big Hole River decision, cites law opposed by EPA; Indiana moves to regulate legal THC sales and branding.

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White House defends Secretary Hegseth amid media scrutiny, federal judges block efforts to dismantle U.S. international broadcasters, and major restructuring hits the State Department and rural programs.

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Schools in timber country face an uncertain future without Congress' reauthorization of a rural program, DOGE cuts threaten plant species needed for U.S. food security, and farmers will soon see federal dollars for energy projects unlocked.

NM's state methane regulations expected to thwart federal rollbacks

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Friday, March 21, 2025   

Federal rules meant to better control harmful methane emissions will not take effect since Congress and President Donald Trump have intervened but their action is unlikely to affect New Mexico because of stricter laws already in place.

The U.S. Senate voted to overturn the Biden administration's proposed fee on oil and gas companies over methane emissions and Trump signed a resolution in support.

Jon Goldstein, associate vice president of the energy transition for the Environmental Defense Fund, said New Mexico is somewhat insulated from broad federal rollbacks because of state laws passed since 2021. There is anecdotal evidence they are working.

"Emissions have come down, waste has come down and obviously, the oil and gas industry is not suffering any ill effects of these rules," Goldstein outlined. "It is producing at record levels in New Mexico."

Methane emissions are a significant driver of global warming and can affect people by damaging airways, aggravating lung disease and asthma. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated repealing the methane fee will cost American taxpayers more than 7 billion in lost revenue over the next decade.

Biden's previous methane fee program also provided funds to help companies install emission-reducing technology. Goldstein pointed out some companies, including ExxonMobil, supported the effort to reduce emissions while other trade groups, including some in New Mexico, pushed for the rollbacks.

"That should've made, you would think, producers in New Mexico want to see efforts like this federal rule remain in place, so that others are being brought up to the levels that they're meeting," Goldstein observed. "But unfortunately, we've got this sort-of broad brush effort to try and undo progress at the federal level."

Following his election, Trump declared a national energy emergency, calling for more oil and gas production and fewer environmental reviews.

Disclosure: The Environmental Defense Fund contributes to our fund for reporting on Climate Change/Air Quality, Energy Policy, Environment, and Public Lands/Wilderness. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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