On Thursday, July 24, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW), will lead Committee Democrats in a spotlight forum on how the oil and gas industry is releasing methane into our air that is warming our planet, raising our cost of living, and choking our children—all while the Trump Administration makes it easier for these companies to pollute. The forum, titled “Mind Over Methane: The No-Brainer Climate, Economic, and Health Solution,” will highlight progress that many states, companies, and researchers are making on this issue despite federal rollbacks.
Speakers:
- Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- Dr. Arvind Ravikumar, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering; Co-Director of the Energy Emissions Monitoring and Data Laboratory
- Courtney Smith, First Principal Deputy Executive Officer at the California Air Resources Board
- Lori Ehrlich, Former Massachusetts State Representative; Former FEMA Region 1 Administrator
- Dr. Sarav Arunachalam, Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering; Research Professor and Deputy Director at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment
Methane is a greenhouse gas more than 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide, and it is responsible for approximately one third of the rise in global temperatures. In the United States, the oil and gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane emissions: at every stage of fossil fuel production, this dangerous, poisonous, explosive gas is leaked or deliberately released into our atmosphere, where it pollutes our air, helps drive climate change-driven economic risks, and increases energy costs for families. Landfills are also a significant contributor of this pollution and are an emerging focus for state action.
Although much of the methane abatement work needed to address the climate and public health harms—particularly in the oil and gas sector—could be done at no net cost, the Trump Administration is considering rolling back methane mitigation rules for the fossil fuel industry, and the Department of Transportation has already canceled requirements to fix leaky natural gas pipelines. While a significant share of methane pollution comes from intentional releases, leaks alone waste over $1.5 billion worth of gas each year—losses that are passed on to consumers via higher energy bills.