From the Clean Air Council (http://www.cleanair.org/):
Senator Bob Casey has courageously opposed the Administration’s dangerous proposed modification to standards that reduce methane pollution from oil and gas operations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), led by fossil fuel lobbyist Andrew Wheeler, is about to propose the complete elimination of methane controls from these standards.
Senator Casey and Colorado Senator Michael Bennet wrote to EPA in December, “As the Senators from two states with robust standards to reduce methane emissions, we are concerned that more children will breathe harmful air pollution as a result of the rollbacks you are recommending. In addition, our states may have to impose additional measures in order to adhere to EPA’s ozone standards due to methane pollution coming into Colorado and Pennsylvania from other states without similar methane standards.”
Please go to http://salsa4.salsalabs.com/o/51176/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=26349 to ask your Federal Congressperson to join Senator Casey in this effort to preserve strong methane leakage standards before the Administration publishes its final rulemaking. Methane leaks occur at every step along the oil and gas supply chain. When methane leaks, it is accompanied by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which include known carcinogens and also contribute to ground-level ozone (the main constituent of smog). Routine, comprehensive inspections are key to detecting and reducing harmful emissions. Methane is the main component of natural gas and is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming our planet over a twenty-year timeline. Scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated in their latest report that the world only has 11 years to cut greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, by 45% to avoid catastrophic climate change.
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