Clean air advocates will hold a public forum Monday 2 p.m, at National Jewish Hospital in Denver to discuss new methane regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Land Management, and urge Republican lawmakers such as U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner to defend them.

Methane is a greenhouse gas that health and environmental leaders say fuels climate change and hurts people who breath it. The American Petroleum Institute and other energy development proponents have said the rules announced in May are overreaching, unnecessary job killers.

Republicans and President-elect Donald Trump have signaled they aim to roll them back.

A spokesman for Gardner wasn’t immediately available Friday afternoon.

Conservation Colorado is organizing Monday’s gathering. Speakers are expected to include Dawn Mullally of the American Lung Association,  Pat Abbott of the Alliance of Nurses for a Healthy Environment, Jon Goldstein of the Environmental Defense Fund and Christine Berg of Moms Clean Air Force.

“Air pollution poses a serious threat to our nation’s health,” Mullally said. “At the American Lung Association we work very hard to ensure that the air we breathe is clean and safe. Public health depends on it.”

Berg said more than 7 million children in the U.S. have asthma.

“As a result there are more than 14 million lost school days,” she said. “Behind each one of those days is a mom (or dad) who is probably missing work, taking that child to the doctor, and all too often going to the emergency room. Indeed, asthma is responsible for over 600,000 emergency room visits in children each year.

“This is a terrible burden for families, and we know that air pollution makes it worse. Reducing carbon pollution is a critical step in this process. Clean air is of vital importance to the health of all of our children in Colorado.”