Thank the DEP for Moving on New Health Protections to Reduce Leaks from Natural Gas Facilities—and Ask to Make the Protections as Strong as Possible

From the Clean Air Council (http://www.cleanair.org/):

In a time when all news about the environment seems to be bad, we are excited to share some good news with you: After over two years of advocacy by Pennsylvania residents like you, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is finally moving forward with new health protections to reduce air pollution leaks from natural gas facilities.

For years, Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry has operated on a “drill first, regulate later” basis. This approach has meant that Pennsylvania residents who live near natural gas facilities are exposed to harmful air pollutants – including carcinogens, toxins that can damage the lungs, heart, and central nervous system, and smog – while downwind communities experience elevated smog levels, which worsen asthma and other respiratory diseases.

Write to DEP today at http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/51176/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=21090, thanking them for taking this step to limit hazardous air pollution, and asking them to make these protections as strong as possible.

While DEP’s proposed protections are a major improvement over the status quo, DEP could make them even stronger. More importantly, the protections proposed by DEP only cover newly proposed natural gas facilities, while not addressing the facilities that are already operating and polluting the air we breathe every day.

DEP recently opened the public comment period for these protections, which are achieved through conditions under two General Permits – standardized permits for specific types of infrastructure that industry can receive if they adhere to all of the air pollution conditions. One permit covers natural gas well pads and the other covers compressor stations, equipment used to process and pressurize natural gas.

We need you to submit a comment calling on DEP to make the General Permits as strong as possible and to work quickly to develop protections for existing natural gas facilities.

DEP is required to consider all comments made during the public comment period. If enough of us ask for the strongest possible permits and for additional protections to stop air pollution from existing natural gas facilities, DEP won’t be able to ignore our voices.

Add your voice. Submit your comment to DEP today and tell them it’s time to put Pennsylvanians’ health first!