Clean Air Council, Earthworks, Protect PT and the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project Demand Stronger Methane Leakage Standards for New Sources of Oil and Gas Pollution like the Proposed Expansion of the JB Tonkin Compressor Station
[December 20, 2019] Murrysville, PA – This year the Trump Administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler formally proposed the complete removal of methane leakage standards from the 2016 New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for oil and gas facilities. Clean Air Council has collected over 1,500 official comments from concerned individuals opposing this dangerous regulatory backslide. At the Council’s urging, half of Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation wrote to the EPA asking Administrator Wheeler to leave the original leakage standard intact to avoid the worst effects of climate change and reduce air pollution. Pennsylvania leaks over 500,000 tons of methane from oil and gas facilities every year. Methane is 87 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over a 20-year time period.
Pennsylvanians are feeling the potential effects of this destructive rollback. Dominion Energy’s proposed expansion of the JB Tonkin Compressor Station in Murrysville, PA is now undergoing technical review by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
“When we went out to set up noise monitoring equipment near the compressor station, we noticed an acrid smell and asked a nearby resident if it was normal. We directed the resident to call the PA DEP to report it and they found 11 leaks at the station,” said Gillian Graber, Executive Director of Protect PT. “Without residents and advocates speaking up, this industry would go unchecked,” said Graber.
This facility is already a major source of air pollution in Westmoreland County, an area which currently fails to attain federal air pollution standards for asthma-inducing particulate matter and ground-level ozone (smog) pollution. This expansion will result in an increase of air pollution in this already polluted area which will also contribute to climate change.
“It was so small when we bought the property in 1968. It was very innocuous and then it just kept getting larger,” said Murrysville resident Barbara Sims. “We were novices at the time. I really feel sorry for the people who live close by, it has become enormous.”
Even more concerning is the simultaneous expansion of schools and parks within an approximate mile radius of the proposed expansion of the JB Tonkin compressor station. The Franklin Regional School Board just voted to continue construction of the Sloan Elementary and Intermediate School Complex. The Murrysville Community Park is also undergoing a planned $300,000 expansion that will include an amphitheater.
“The JB Tonkin Compressor Station is a prime example of how the Trump administration’s reckless rollbacks hurt Pennsylvania communities. Earthworks has documented uncontrolled air pollution at the JB Tonkin site, and many more like it across the state, using an industry-standard gas imaging camera. Weakening rules on Dominion Energy and other operators without question harms health and climate. National safeguards were put in place to protect all Pennsylvanians and must be preserved.”
Leann Leiter, Pennsylvania & Ohio Field Advocate for Earthworks
“Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that poses a very real threat to public health. When leaked into the atmosphere, methane contributes to climate disasters that threaten lives and livelihoods. The accompanying VOCs may trigger a host of health issues, including respiratory and neurological issues and possibly cancers. Governor Wolf and the PA DEP should strengthen methane regulations and minimize exemptions to better protect the health of all Pennsylvania families, including the children going to school in the Franklin Regional School District.”
Raina Rippel, Director
Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project
The U.S. experienced record growth in the natural gas industry this year with Pennsylvania experiencing the most significant increase from 2018 to 2019.
“With a rapidly expanding gas industry, Pennsylvanians need strong federal regulations that will prevent methane leakage and improve air quality as our communities attempt to expand other needed infrastructure like parks and schools,” said Lois Bower Bjornson with Clean Air Council.
Click here for a narrative of the situation with additional information and supporting links.
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Clean Air Council is a member- supported, non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone’s right to a healthy environment. The Council is headquartered in Philadelphia and works through public education, community advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws. For more information, please visit www.cleanair.org.
The following four photos are of the JB Tonkin compressor station and were taken by Marcellus Air:
This photo provided by Earthworks
This is a video (and the above photo) showing leaking methane from the JB Tonkin compressor station taken by Earthworks:
This is a photograph of the leaking infrastructure seen above, taken by Earthworks
