A DOE “certification” of liquified methane gas could undermine efforts to reduce methane pollution and boost the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, nearly 150 groups warned Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in an open letter, Wednesday. Giving a government imprimatur to “lower-emissions gas,” the groups warn, would give cover to the industry despite the fact that “all gas that is produced comes with significant immediate and long-term consequences.” “The oil and gas industry has caused disproportionate harm to communities of color,” Shanna Edberg of the Hispanic Access Foundation said in a statement. “Creating a certification system would falsely legitimize a harmful industry and distract from the response we need to climate change: a just transition to renewable energy.” (E&E $, Reuters)