PRESENTATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
JULY 31, 2014 - PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
Good Morning.
I am Robert M. Ciesielski of the New York State Atlantic Chapter of the Sierra Club and currently serve as Chair of the Chapter’s Energy Committee. The Chapter represents some 40,000 Sierra Club members in New York State.
We applaud the efforts of the Environmental Protection Agency to curb emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, as a bi-product of our nation’s energy production system. The EPA has recognized the release of greenhouse gases as a major cause of climate change, as has 97% of the world’s climate scientists. We would like to make three points, however, concerning the proposed regulations.
First, it is important that the EPA include the release of all greenhouse gases emission, not just carbon dioxide in its regulations. Methane gas, released by high volume horizontal hydrofracking, is 80 times more potent than greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years of its release to the atmosphere. NASA scientists have found that methane may actually be as much as 105 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2 in the same period. The EPA, however, continues to measure the potency of methane over a much longer 100-year timeframe, and thereby calculates methane as only some 20-25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Furthermore, due to the potency of methane, any leakage of the gas of more than 2% makes it a more dangerous greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Studies by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of methane leakage from high volume horizontal drilling for gas in the western United States shows annual leakage of between 2.3% and 17% from drilling, venting and along pipelines, compressor stations and storage facilities. A recent study from the magazine Science finds that the EPA has seriously underestimated the release of methane from fracking. To define methane gas obtained from high volume, high pressure horizontally fracked wells as “clean energy” is erroneous.
Besides, the fracking industry itself admits that 5% to 7% of its high volume gas wells leak in the first year, and that some 35% of wells leak after 30 years. Recent studies have also shown that gas wells drilled with the new high volume, high pressure technology leak at a much greater rate than older conventionally drilled wells.
We therefore call upon the EPA to properly calculate the greenhouse gas effect of methane gas over a reasonable timeline, as well as to measure the release of methane from the high volume horizontal drilling. This will permit the establishment of CO2 equivalents for released methane, and to accurately calculate the greenhouse gas effect of fracked methane. Proper steps must then be taken to control methane release, as necessary, even to the point of banning high volume hydraulic hydrofracking.
Secondly, the proposed regulations have indicated that in certain instances nuclear power can be relied upon to substitute for fossil fuels in order to restrict the release of greenhouse gases. We oppose the use of nuclear reactors as a dangerous source of energy. In Western New York, as in many other parts of the United States, citizens are subject to the unsafe and improper storage of radioactive nuclear waste. The mining of uranium subjects residents of whole communities to the effects of radiation.
Third, we emphasize the need to develop renewable energy based upon solar, wind, geothermal and hydropower as the direction to take in order to mitigate the effects of climate change. The development of renewable energy, efficiency and conservation are also tremendous potential sources of economic growth in a sustainable economy. We refer you to the study Jobs Beyond Coal by the Labor Network for Sustainability. Renewables are a successful alternative to fossil fuels, including methane, and also to nuclear energy, as a source to satisfy our country’s energy needs. The industrial powerhouse of Germany currently produces some 27% of its electricity from renewables, mainly wind and solar power, and has some 370,000 jobs in the renewable sector, which would be an equivalent of over 1.5 million jobs in the United States. Electricity on the German Futures Market is priced at only 3.2 cents per kilowatt hour in 2017, showing the economic efficiency of renewable energy. A November 2013 study by PJM, the Independent System Operator for the electric transmission in all or part of 13 States including Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Jersey, found that if 30% of its energy production was supplied by wind power, its annual production cost of energy would be reduced by $13 billion and its wholesale cost for electricity to consumers would be reduced by $21 billion. Grid updates would cost only 6% - 8%, with no reliability issues. Carbon emissions would be reduced by 29%.
Thank you,
Robert M. Ciesielski
Sierra Club, Atlantic Chapter
Energy Committee Chair
rmciesie@yahoo.com