SANTA FE, N.M. - Environmentalists are cheering a recent agreement between President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that will reduce the release of methane from both new and existing sources.

The leaders signed a wide-ranging environmental agreement last week that will help both the United States and Canada meet their obligations under the 2015 Paris climate change agreement. Camilla Feibelman, executive director of the Rio Grande Chapter of the Sierra Club, said the pact will go a long way toward helping New Mexico reduce its massive methane cloud.

"The Obama administration has agreed to add the final piece of the puzzle to controlling methane pollution," she said, "and they're doing that by agreeing to omit a rule that controls methane coming out of existing sources."

Earlier this year, the Bureau of Land Management instituted methane limits on new oil and gas rigs on public lands, and the new regulations will limit emissions from existing wells. Under the current situation, Feibelman said, scientists estimate that by 2018, 90 percent of methane pollution will come from sources in place just five years ago.

Feibelman said New Mexico has lost millions of dollars in revenue, royalties and resources from both the accidental and intentional release of methane. She also said it is critical to control methane in order to address global warming.

"Methane is 86 times more potent of a global-warming gas than CO2 (carbon dioxide) is over a 20-year period," she said, "so that means that it's something that we urgently have to control, but it also means that is something that we can control."

Feibelman said the new regulations also will bring jobs to New Mexico, since 11 or more companies already are in the state that develop and install the technology to control methane emissions.

Details of the agreement are online at whitehouse.gov.


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SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The historic clean-energy bill signed into Illinois law yesterday includes measures from closing coal and natural gas plants by 2045 to funding for clean-energy opportunities for Black, brown and Indigenous workers.

It also sets the deadline for net-zero emissions by 2050, increases funding for wind and solar, and keeps three nuclear power plants open for five more years.

Dulce Ortiz, co-chair of Clean Power Lake County, said it is important the bill focuses on Black and brown residents and frontline communities.

"The climate and equitable-job section prioritizes Black and brown communities that have been disproportionately impacted and historically suffered due to exposure to toxic pollution," Ortiz explained.

Opponents of the law argued closing coal and natural-gas plants could raise electricity bills. State Democratic lawmakers noted consumers can expect to pay between $3.55 and $4 more per month.

Ortiz, who lives near a coal-fired power plant, argued the plants need to be closed to protect the health and wellness of surrounding communities.

Pat Devaney, secretary treasurer of the Illinois AFL-CIO, a member of Climate Jobs Illinois, said the bill sets some of the nation's strongest labor standards, such as requiring collective-bargaining agreements for all utility-scale wind and solar.

He added it also helps communities currently reliant on coal and natural gas transition to the clean economy.

"With these provisions, we can ensure the clean-energy grid of the future will be built and maintained right here in Illinois by highly trained union workers to the benefit of their families and their communities," Devaney asserted.

For people who live in work in communities where power plants are closing down, the bill establishes community grants, and a "Displaced Energy Worker Bill of Rights." Advance notice of any closures is required, as well as financial advice, employment assistance and career services.

HELENA, Mont. -- Montanans are delivering a message to the offices of Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., across the state today: Support bold investments in the country's future.

Congress is considering a $3.5 trillion budget, which includes major investments to address climate change. Tester was instrumental in crafting the bipartisan infrastructure bill last month, which carried a $1 trillion price tag.

Caitlin Piserchia, climate and political organizer for the Sierra Club Montana chapter, said lawmakers now have a chance to pass an ambitious budget reconciliation bill.

"With the budget reconciliation bill, we have an opportunity to pass something three times the size with priorities that could be truly transformational for Montana and for the rest of the country," Piserchia asserted.

Montanans are delivering care packages to six Tester offices from Kalispell to Billings today. They are calling on the senator to support six priorities in the reconciliation bill, including moving the country toward 100% clean energy, repealing federal fossil-fuel subsidies and retrofitting and electrifying all schools and hospitals.

Congress is still working out the details of the reconciliation bill, the fate of which has been tied to the infrastructure bill.

Piserchia wants to see the measures pass in September while there is still the political will to move forward on them. She added it is also crucial to act on climate change now as it impacts on the country grow and in light of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which urged the world to act quickly to prevent more warming.

"Also, it's coming at a time when there are significant wildfires in Montana," Piserchia pointed out. "There's been a drought emergency, and that IPCC report just came out, concluding that we're coming closer to the end of our window to change the outcomes that we could be facing."

Piserchia noted they are also calling on Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., to support the budget reconciliation, but admitted it is a long shot. Daines voted against the infrastructure bill in August. Because of how it is crafted, the reconciliation bill just needs a simple majority in the Senate to pass.

TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- The public has an opportunity to weigh in on a large wind-energy project proposed in Idaho.

The Lava Ridge Wind Energy Project would be located about 25 miles northeast of Twin Falls and generate 1,000 megawatts of energy.

Ben Otto, energy associate for the Idaho Conservation League, said it would more than double the amount of wind energy currently generated in the state, but he pointed out the project could have local impacts.

One concern is for nearby national parks, including Craters of the Moon and the Minidoka National Historic Site, the location of a World War II internment camp for Japanese Americans.

"This project would be visible from both of those locations," Otto explained. "And, in fact, the Minidoka internment camp would be basically surrounded by this project. Those are big cultural impacts."

The Idaho Conservation League is also concerned about the project's impact on wildlife, such as birds of prey. Otto emphasized since the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) still is in the scoping phase, there is plenty of time for the agency to investigate and mitigate potential impacts.

The agency is holding a public meeting on the proposal online today at 6:00 p.m.

Otto also noted creating more renewable-energy sources and moving away from fossil fuels that harm the planet is important. He added the Idaho Conservation League wants to find a way to say yes to this project and respect local values at the same time.

"Adding wind displaces those fossil fuels and delivers a long-term benefit to our climate and public health," Otto contended. "We're really trying to find that balance between enabling the benefits of clean energy while addressing the impacts of specific projects."

The BLM must receive public comments by Sep. 20.