The White House will be holding a ‘methane summit’ today to announce various initiatives aimed at encouraging better monitoring of climate pollution.

In advance of the meeting, Food & Water Watch Executive Director Wenonah Hauter issued the following statement: 

“If the White House is serious about reducing methane pollution, it should implement policies that would have immediate impact – banning fracking and prohibiting the use of methane for heating in new construction. President Biden should also use his executive authority to stop the buildout of new gas infrastructure, ban the export of methane in the form of liquified natural gas, and stop fracking on federal lands as he promised during the campaign.

“The White House could also take steps to transition away from the destructive factory farm model that harms the environment and drives up methane emissions.”

“So far, White House policies have bolstered the interests of corporate polluters by dramatically increasing fossil fuel permits and aggressively promoting the growth of fracked gas exports – a catastrophic move that will increase methane pollution and keep countries hooked on fossil fuels for decades.

“Promoting more fracking and increasing fossil fuel exports are not the actions of an administration that is serious about climate. Methane is a climate super pollutant, and the White House is backing policies that only fuel the climate crisis. 

“Stopping methane emissions is a simple, potent way to address the climate crisis immediately. President Biden should live up to his campaign promise to stop fracking on public lands, and he must stop approving new gas export schemes that pose threats to our air, water and climate. These are concrete steps that would cut methane pollution; everything else is window dressing.”