MAINE BEACON (Maine People's Alliance) • November 12, 2026
The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rollback of federal methane regulations but oil and gas sector analysts warned it could pose a significant threat to public health.Methane is considered both a “super pollutant” and a major cause of climate change, trapping 80 times as much heat in the atmosphere in the short term as carbon dioxide. Mary Sasso, attorney for the global science nonprofit Clean Air Task Force, said even states like Maine, which are far from oil and gas wells, would suffer from increased emissions tied to respiratory illnesses, birth defects and cancer.