Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it will soon release a proposal to weaken pollution safeguards provided in the Methane Supplemental Standard. Each year in Pennsylvania, oil and gas operations waste approximately $178 million-worth of natural gas––enough gas to serve the heating and cooling needs for every household in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh annually. Methane also poses a life-threatening danger to the health of those who live, work, and go to school––including over 200,000 Pennsylvanian children––near oil and gas infrastructure.
In response, Kim Anderson, EEN’s Director of Member Mobilization and Pennsylvania resident, issued the following statement:
“The EPA’s plan to weaken methane pollution protections is a disappointment to Pennsylvanian families who have, for too long, carried the burden of the dangers of this preventable harm. The methane standard is designed to establish reasonable safeguards to defend residents from the threat of toxins released from oil and gas production, distribution, and transportation. In addition to reducing the waste of methane resources that would otherwise be brought to market to heat our homes, these safeguards cut emissions of cancer-causing pollutants like benzene, VOCs, and other toxic chemicals. For decades, Pennsylvania residents have breathed air contaminated with toxins linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease and a host of other health problems. These protections that defend our health must be kept in place.”
