Gov. Jay Inslee sent a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency that opposes the administration's proposed rule to eliminate protections against methane pollution from new oil and gas operations.
"The Trump administration continues to gut environmental rules that are essential to clean air and clean water. This latest proposal is just another example of putting the oil and gas industry ahead of public health and safety.
"Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential nearly 30 times greater than carbon dioxide. The EPA’s proposed rollback of these moderate regulations would increase the risk of catastrophic climate change impacts.
"We have no time to waste to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. The federal government’s unwinding of regulations on the oil and gas industry is an outrageous abdication of duty to protect the American people."
Read the full letter.