Although President Joe Biden has signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, many are hoping he will declare a climate emergency to provide further funding. It would allow for additional provisions to fight the effects of climate change and reduce fossil-fuel usage in the U.S.

New York State has been seeing the effects of climate change firsthand since 45 counties, or three quarters of the state, are currently under a drought watch. Although this is the mildest of the four drought advisories, there are concerns climate change might only exacerbate future drought conditions in the state.

Dominic Frongillo, executive director of Elected Officials to Protect America, believes declaring a climate emergency is a major necessity.

"What declaring a climate emergency will allow President Biden to do is to halt crude exports for crude oil, stop offshore oil and gas drilling, restrict international investment in fossil fuels, and to be able to accelerate the manufacturing and the homegrown jobs here in the United States in an investment to ramp up renewable-energy production," Frongillo outlined.

Currently, 1,000 elected officials across the U.S. have signed a letter urging a climate emergency be declared. A bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2021, asking President Biden to declare a climate emergency, but has been languishing in committee.

While the Inflation Reduction Act is one of the largest investments in fighting climate change, Frongillo feels the shortfalls cancel out the benefits. One instance he cited is how investment in fossil fuels can continue despite moving to renewable energy. He sees the bill as a great success but believes it helps oil and gas companies too much.

"By opening up public lands for leasing, and because the fossil-fuel industry is primarily responsible for the climate crisis, is driving the climate crisis; we need a clear and strong plan to get America off fossil fuels, to lead the world in phasing out fossil fuels," Frongillo urged.

Frongillo is optimistic about the new law being a catalyst for a bigger leap to renewable resources. However, without Biden declaring a climate emergency, he feels the U.S. might not reach its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50%.

A relatively small number of so-called "super emitters" are responsible for 40% of the methane emissions in oil and gas hotspots such as California's Central Valley, according to a new report.

Experts from Carbon Mappers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena and two universities in Arizona flew over the basin and measured the invisible gas with spectrometers.

Jon Goldstein, senior director of regulatory and legislative affairs for the Environmental Defense Fund, which co-authored the report, said the health of the planet depends on reducing methane emissions.

"Methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas, more than 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after it's emitted," he said. "So, getting these problems fixed, keeping this methane in the pipes and out of our air, is a really important way to bend the curve on climate change."

The Environmental Protection Agency is working on national regulations to require methane capture. Emissions from animal feedlots also play a role. The report found California has fewer super-emitters compared with other states that have weaker methane-capture rules.

Goldstein noted that technology exists to find and fix pipeline leaks or to capture excess gas instead of burning it off.

"It's a waste of resources. It's a big source of pollution that's leading to unhealthy air quality," he said. "It definitely is something that the oil and gas industry ought to be addressing."

Oil and gas companies have long complained that methane capture is time-consuming and expensive. However, a report from the International Energy Agency found that the industry could cut 45% of its methane emissions at no net cost to them.

Nevada needs to move away from natural gas and toward clean energy - that's the view of climate action groups that spoke up on Tuesday at an open forum of the Nevada Public Utilities Commission.

The Pollution Free Nevada coalition wants the PUC to scrutinize Southwest Gas proposals to expand natural gas infrastructure.

Elspeth DiMarzio, senior campaign representative with the Sierra Club, said the state needs to rely on solar and wind to generate power - and promote electric appliances instead of gas.

"To meet Nevada's climate goals of 100% clean energy and zero greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050," said DiMarzio, "we need to really, rapidly, transition away from the use of methane gas in the electric sector and in buildings."

She noted that Southwest Gas has raised rates three times within four years.

A study from the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project estimates that replacing a gas-powered heat pump with an electric model can save a household about $100 a year on its energy bills.

Angel Lazcano, an environmental justice organizer with the Latino advocacy group "Somos Votantes," also testified at the annual Clark County PUC consumer session.

He said many Latinos live closer to highways and industry - where air quality is poor, and the pollution from natural gas appliances makes it worse.

"Eight and a half percent of Latino children suffer from asthma as a result of indoor and outdoor pollution," said Lazcano. "The so-called 'natural gases' in our homes release other harmful pollutants, such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. It accounts for 14% of our state's total climate pollution."

Lazcano said he'd like to see more investment in programs that help people replace older, gas-powered stoves, dryers and water heaters with new electric models.

A new study mapping methane pollution across five oil and gas production basins in states including Colorado found a small number of sites account for a disproportionately high level of overall pollution.

Jon Goldstein, senior director of regulatory and legislative affairs for the Environmental Defense Fund, one group behind the study, said nearly 40% of emissions are coming from what are sometimes referred to as "super emitter" sites.

"So these are big leaks, these are big problems," Goldstein asserted. "What that means, though is that if we can find them and fix them, we can get a handle on this problem pretty quickly."

The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release national standards to limit methane pollution at oil and gas sites as soon as this fall. Some critics of rules, including those passed in Colorado requiring oil and gas operators to find and fix leaks and reduce flaring, have argued the cost of implementation can be prohibitive, especially for smaller operators.

Methane is 80 times more potent at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide and is a major contributor to climate change. It is also the primary component of natural gas.

Goldstein pointed out companies benefit by capturing emissions and bringing more gas to market. He said the International Energy Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency and regulators in states with strong emission standards reached similar conclusions on the rules' economic impacts.

"And again, those state-level regulators have also found these rules to be very cost-effective," Goldstein noted. "I think the balance of the information from an economic standpoint is on the cost-effectiveness and the wisdom of getting these sorts of standards in place."

Goldstein emphasized there is a critical need for ongoing, open-source monitoring of methane emissions at local and regional scales to guide efforts to reduce pollution. He added the study's findings strongly suggest federal regulators should model new rules on successful standards at work in states including Colorado.

"We're finding less super emitters in the states that have been getting strong standards in place," Goldstein stressed. "That's a really good headline for EPA to see as they're working to try and get similar standards in place across the U.S."