EPA Air Official Accused of Conflict Over Payments Via Gas Giant

As the EPA crafts a rule that would trim the agency’s oversight of methane gas, a Democratic-leaning group is demanding a recusal from the division head overseeing the process, accusing her of financial ties to natural gas distribution giant Enbridge Inc.

Anne Idsal runs the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. Valley Crossing Pipeline LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Enbridge, operates a 168-mile natural gas line that crosses over 16,100 feet of Idsal’s family land in the southern tip of Texas.

Idsal, who started at the EPA in late 2017, was compensated by the pipeline ...