Clean Air Council Applauds White House Commitment

March 10, 2016
Matt Walker, mwalker@cleanair.org, (215) 567-4004 x121

PHILADELPHIA, PA (March 10, 2016) – Today, the Obama administration announced that it will immediately begin developing standards to limit methane pollution from existing oil and gas operations. These safeguards are a necessary step in meeting the administration’s stated goal of reducing methane pollution from the oil and gas sector 40 to 45% below 2012 levels.

According to a 2014 study, about 90 percent of oil and gas methane pollution in 2018 will come from existing sources built before 2012, making standards for existing sources critical for any serious methane reduction plan. Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that is more than 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide over a 20 year time period, leaks from every stage in the natural gas supply chain. Air pollution leaks from the oil and gas industry also include volatile organic compounds, such as some known human carcinogens as well as compounds that form smog, or ground-level-ozone, which is linked to asthma development and asthma attacks. More than four million Pennsylvanians live in areas that already exceed national clean air standards for ozone levels.

Clean Air Council welcomes the Obama administration’s plan to reduce methane pollution from existing sources and urges the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to act swiftly to propose and finalize these standards and begin protecting Americans everywhere from harmful air pollution.

“The Council applauds EPA for announcing that they will develop standards to cover existing oil and gas infrastructure,” said Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Executive Director and Chief Counsel of Clean Air Council. “Air pollution knows no borders. These rules are crucial for ensuring that the health of Pennsylvania residents is fully protected. Pennsylvania has already demonstrated strong leadership by advancing a methane reduction plan for existing sources in our state. However, air pollution from oil and gas operations in upwind states worsens Pennsylvania’s air quality. Now we need EPA to take bold and swift action to build on the work already being done in Pennsylvania and other states to ensure complete protection of our air and health.”