by Cheryl Johncox
In a disappointing move on Tuesday, August 1st, Ohio Attorney General Mike Dewine, once again prioritized polluter profits above safeguards for Ohio residents from pollution generated by the oil and gas industry. Ohio has a record number of people living within a half mile of oil and gas development, which means 3.1 million Ohioans are subjected daily to toxic chemical pollution that can cause cancer, anemia, brain damage, birth defects, blood and neurological disorders, and eye irritations. Children, elderly, and people with existing immune or respiratory issues are particularly at risk.
The half mile “threat radius” is a very conservative estimate of the area within which higher elevated levels of toxic pollution are seen, and the distance within which health impacts have most clearly been correlated with the presence of oil and gas facilities.[1]
“We are deeply disappointed in Attorney General Dewine’s actions that once again put the polluter profits ahead of a healthy environment for Ohio families,” said Jen Miller, Director of Sierra Club Ohio Chapter. “More Ohioans are put at risk from air pollution produced by the fracking industry than residents of any other state, which leads to me to wonder who’s side AG Dewine is on.” She continued to state that, “ the safeguard he is fighting would protect all Ohioans--especially children, the elderly, and people with existing respiratory or immune conditions--from highly toxic pollution that causes a wide range illness including cancer, birth defects and brain damage.”
Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is an invisible, odorless greenhouse gas that is a powerful driver of climate change -- 87 times as powerful as carbon dioxide during the time it remains in the atmosphere.[2] The oil and gas industry sector is the largest source of methane in the U.S., leaking or intentionally venting large quantities of this dangerous pollutant into our air every day.
“Columbus was recently listed in the top 25 fastest warming cities in the United States, and the situation will only get worse if we don’t come together as a nation to put the health of our communities first and require dirty energy polluters to use common sense measures to stop the flood of toxics and greenhouse gases being spewed into the air,[3]” said Miller.
[1]http://oilandgasthreatmap.com/about/threat/[2]http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar5/wg1/WG1AR5_Chapter08_FINAL.pdf[3]http://www.climatecentral.org/news/fastest-warming-cities-20535?utm_content=buffera79e3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer