Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will soon release a proposal to weaken pollution safeguards that cut emissions of methane and other harmful air pollutants from the oil and gas sector. The proposal would rescind requirements for industry to monitor gas leaks and to limit practices that waste natural gas resources and emit health-harming pollutants.
Dr. Rev. Jessica Moerman, President and CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network, issued the following statement in response:
“Families in oil and gas country should not have to wonder what is leaking from the wells and equipment near their homes, churches, and schools. The plan to weaken methane pollution protections means this worry remains a reality. Leaking methane is not only a wasted product. The same leaks can carry benzene, and other harmful pollutants linked to cancer and birth defects, into the air that children and seniors breathe. Just as we expect restaurants to be inspected for proper practices to keep our food safe, we believe the same principle applies to the oil and gas sites in our neighborhoods. Leak monitoring and prompt repair are necessary practices to keep our families safe and stop our valuable natural resources from going to waste. Pollution safeguards that cut waste and protect health are good for families, good for communities, and good stewardship of God’s bounty. American families are justified in asking the EPA why it is wasting our taxpayer dollars on eliminating cost-effective methane pollution protections instead of directing its time and our money toward building upon positive first steps to address new and emerging health toxins, like microplastics in drinking water.”
