From the Endangered Species Coalition (https://www.endangered.org/):
Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that it was considering designating the Permian Basin, including the oil fields of West Texas and New Mexico, in violation of federal ozone pollution standards.
That designation would have required major reforms to local oil and gas operations – and would have resulted in a significant reduction in air pollution.
Tell the EPA to stand up to polluting industries and protect people and wildlife at https://civicshout.com/p/stop-caving-to-fossil-fuel-companies.
But now, in what amounts to a dangerous cave to the oil industry, the EPA deprioritized its consideration of the designation, changing its status from active to pending.1
This decision to back down is harmful to wildlife and human communities. Exposure to elevated ozone levels–like those produced by these oil and gas operations–is the most dangerous for sensitive groups including the elderly, children, and people who work outdoors. Ozone aggravates lung diseases such as asthma and emphysema.
And allowing the oil and gas industry to continue to ignore the law encourages further disregard of laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act and the Endangered Species Act. Laws only work when they are followed and enforced.
Thank you for your commitment to wildlife and wild places.
https://insideclimatenews.org/news/13012023/epa-texas-permian-basin-oil-air-pollution/
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