On August 28, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency announced the first-ever limits on industrial methane pollution from the oil and gas industry. These rules are a critical first step in the Administration's plan to reduce methane pollution by 40 to 45 percent by 2025, a key piece of the President's Climate Action Plan. Here in Colorado we fought hard to have strong air quality rules put in place by the State’s Air Quality Control Commission in 2014. While there are a number of differences between the new EPA rules and the Colorado rules, the stronger our federal rules are, the cleaner our air and healthier our communities will be anywhere that oil and gas operations are taking place.
This set of rules will cover new and modified sources in the oil and gas industry, from the well-head to transmission lines. The rule covers new and modified sources in the oil and gas industry, including well pads, pneumatic devices, compressors, and gathering lines. The rule will require regular leak detection and repair at all wells, a key means of reducing chronically leaky systems. And these rules are expected to reduce pollution 340,000 to 400,000 short tons of methane in 2025, the equivalent of reducing 7.7 - 9 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Here are 5 more reasons we need a strong set of rules around methane pollution and why we are showing up on September 23rd in Denver to testify in favor of strong rules! I hope you will join us. You can RSVP here to let us know you’ll be there!
1. Climate Change: These rules will require the oil and gas industry to begin cleaning up their act by cutting emissions of methane pollution, a potent greenhouse gas that traps more than 80 times as much heat as CO2 over a 20 year time period. In 2012, Methane emissions accounted for 10 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. and will continue to increase without strong regulations.
2. Public Health: As long as the extraction and production of natural gas continues, our climate and health will continue to suffer. However, these new rules not only cut climate-warming methane emissions, they will also protect public health by curbing emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds and carcinogens like benzene and other toxic pollutants. Such emissions are dangerous for the health of communities and workers, having been linked to cancer, respiratory disease, and neurological damage. Methane pollution specifically contributes to the formation of smog, which causes asthma attacks, respiratory problems, permanent lung damage, and in extreme cases, premature death. Smog from oil and gas drilling also mars our public lands, making outdoor recreation less enjoyable and even harmful for your health. If methane emissions were to be more strongly regulated, all of these harmful impacts would also be reduced.
3. Worker Safety: Health risks among oil and gas Workers are considerably higher than the general population. It is estimated that every time a person in the United States breathes, a few trace amounts of methane are inhaled. For workers in the oil and gas industry, this amount of inhaled methane increases considerably. A recent study found that people living less than half a mile away from oil and gas development have a greater risk of developing health effects from methane pollution than those living farther away. Because oil and gas workers typically work 12-14 hour shifts for a week or two consecutively, not only are the workers being exposed to dangerous emissions but dangerous working conditions as well. In fact, the fatality rate among oil and gas workers in 2013 was nearly eight times higher than the all-industry rate of 3.2 deaths for every 100,000 workers. This rate will continue to increase if strong methane regulations are not enforced and workers are not protected.
4. Cost: A number of solutions will have environmental co-benefits at no extra cost, by reducing emissions that can harm human health and the environment. The most cost-effective methane reduction opportunities would create over $164M net savings for operators. A recent study by the ICF International found that cost-effectively reducing methane emissions would only require the U.S. oil and gas industry a capital investment of about $2.2 billion, which Oil & Gas Journal data shows to be less than 1 percent of annual industry capital expenditure. Total methane emissions from U.S. oil and gas are predicted to increase 4.5% by 2018 from industry growth. If the full economic value of recovered natural gas is taken into account, the industry can reduce emissions by 40 percent below the projected 2018 levels while saving the U.S. economy and consumers over $100M per year.
5. Clean Energy: If we are to substantially reduce oil and gas pollution for future generations, we need renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. Experts agree that a significant reduction in these toxic pollutants within the next 40-50 years is crucial for public health and the environment, and we have that potential to get all of our energy from clean, renewable sources like wind & solar. Such sources would mitigate climate change, eliminate localized water and air pollution, and provide clean energy jobs. We must keep dirty fuels in the ground and move toward a clean future for our families and our planet! Regulating the oil and gas industry is not going to keep our communities or climate safe from the harms of fracking and we will continue to pursue clean energy solutions to kick our dirty fossil fuel habit once and for all.
Interning for the Sierra Club, I never dreamt that I would be working to protect our country’s health, safety, and environment from one of the most carbon significant emissions our oil and gas industry emits. These five reasons we need stronger methane rules not only apply to making a difference for future generations, but will significantly impact our current communities, oil and gas workers, and environment. As someone who personally connects with environments being affected by oil and gas development’s toxic emissions, I see and understand the importance of strong methane rules in making sure we protect our planet. It is our responsibility to ensure that we use the EPA’s first-ever limits on industrial methane pollution to keep dirty fuels in the ground!