Clean Air Council Statement on EPA & BLM Decisions to Suspend Key Protections from Harmful Methane Pollution
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PHILADELPHIA, PA (June 16, 2017) – On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would seek a two-year suspension of leak detection and repair standards on the oil and gas industry. In a Federal Register notice Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management announced a suspension of the implementation of key protections that reduce harmful methane pollution emissions from oil and gas facilities on public lands. These delays on the EPA’s standards, and their possible subsequent rollback, would affect 800 wells across Pennsylvania–creating more than 500 tons of methane pollution and 140 more tons of smog-forming and health-threatening toxic chemicals in our air. In response, Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director and Chief Counsel of the Clean Air Council, released the following statement:
“President Trump and his EPA are sending a very clear message that they care more about protecting polluters than people. As the second largest producer of natural gas, Pennsylvania has new wells drilled each and every day that will no longer need to comply with basic, common sense clean air protections. This unreasonable delay is happening at a time when self-reported industry data show emissions have increased in the Commonwealth nearly 30% in recent years. Today more than ever before, with a constant bombardment against national protections, Governor Wolf needs to honor his commitment to address methane pollution from natural gas facilities now”
About Clean Air Council
Clean Air Council is Pennsylvania’s oldest member-supported environmental nonprofit, fighting for everyone’s right to breathe clean air since 1967. Through research, public education and advocacy, the Council empowers citizens to fight for policies and practices that create healthier communities and a healthier environment. Clean Air Council believes everyone has a right to breathe clean air. For more information about Clean Air Council, visit www.cleanair.org.
PA has already paid a very high price for energy produced with coal – acid rain, dirty air, black lung, sludge and ash piles, etc. Enough!
Please ,for our children and elderly ,ALL of us!!!! We must NOT allow more pollution ! A mill that reopened a few years ago nearby ,released and broke the law by doing sononpver 300 times pollution levels that actually harmed a child and others (who were not aware ) chemicals that can kill…my filter was black from my furnace from 1 month!!!! And my cars brakes rusted on one side and the paint got destroyed , I had plastic over my windows and still the smell was so strong I was under my covers and still couldn’t get away from the smell ,I was wheezing ,my throat burning,my eyes and nose burned and watered constantly . I have a picture of smog ,that looking out the window I couldn’t even see my porch ! And it stunk like rotten eggs and exhaust!!!! I can’t open windows most of the time ,all I want is quality of life the right to happiness as written in our constitution , this does not make me happy and goes against the.constitution,please don’t allow any more pollution ,stop them or health costs will go up ,people will get sick and die ,are a few temp jobs worth millions of people health?
Governor Wolf, you need to honor your commitment to address methane pollution from natural gas facilities. We have a right to clean air. We elected you to enforce this right.