Across PA Residents Demand Real Action on Protections From Oil and Gas Pollution, Pledge to Hold Governor Wolf Accountable

PENNSYLVANIA, April 26, 2017 – From Scranton to Pittsburgh, impacted Pennsylvania residents held a number of coordinated press conferences and actions across the state to hold Governor Wolf accountable to his promise of regulating methane and harmful air pollution from existing oil and gas industry operations. Demonstrations and meetings occurred in Harrisburg and all of Wolf’s four regional offices. Everywhere methane leaks, it is accompanied by other harmful air pollutants. Pennsylvania is the second largest producer of natural gas and is responsible for emitting over 100,000 tons of hazardous toxic air pollution per year from the oil and gas industry.  

“It’s been a year and a half since the Governor announced his plan to address methane pollution, said Joseph Otis Minott, Esq., Clean Air Council’s Executive Director and Chief Counsel. “While Pennsylvanians continue to breathe unhealthy air, the Governor is already taking credit for implementing methane standards that have yet to be finalized. DEP released draft standards for addressing methane pollution from new oil and gas operations earlier this year, but Governor Wolf has still not made good on his promise to regulate the operations that currently pollute the air – and has yet to even propose them. The public needs and deserves these protections and we will hold the Governor accountable until he implements them.”

“People like myself and my family, living in the shalefields, would like to thank Governor Wolf for proposing his plan to cut methane,” said Lois Bower-Bjornson of Scenery Hill, PA. “However, we still must forge ahead on much-needed protections for existing operations. Each day that goes by without these protections is another day that I worry about my family’s health and exposure to harmful pollution.”

Residents affected by natural gas operations were outraged by a recent Wolf Facebook Live Town Hall where the Governor claimed to have instituted methane emissions standards, when residents say there has been no action to date on proposing and finalizing a regulation on existing sources, the most critical part of Wolf’s methane reduction plan. In Pittsburgh, residents participating in the action collected air pollution samples from near their homes and released it outside of the Governor’s office, bringing the pollution directly to him until he regulates it.  Residents in Scranton met with Wolf Administration staff from the regional office, held an educational event, staged a demonstration with signs, and wrote letters to local papers and comments to the Department of Environment Protection calling for more action to cut methane. Advocates also came to Wolf’s offices in Harrisburg, Erie and Philadelphia to share materials demonstrating strong support from across the state for strong air pollution standards.

About Clean Air Council:

Clean Air Council is Pennsylvania’s oldest member-supported environmental nonprofit, fighting for everyone’s right to breath 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 planet. Clean Air Council believes everyone has a right to breathe clean air, and we all have a role to play. For more information about Clean Air Council, visit www.cleanair.org.