Over the summer, 38,000 Pennsylvanians, including Sierra Club supporters like you, voiced support for strengthening Governor Wolf's proposed rule to cut methane and air pollution from existing oil and gas operations, demonstrating an overwhelming demand for greater climate action and health protections.
As the second-largest fracked gas producing state in the U.S., Pennsylvania has an obligation to adopt the strictest possible rule to reduce harmful methane emissions from oil and gas infrastructure.
For the rule to be most effective, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) must make it a top priority to close the loophole for low-producing wells, which are responsible for over half of Pennsylvania's methane pollution. Low-producing does not mean low polluting. Oil and gas companies operating these wells can afford to cut emissions, yet they continue to evade the rules in favor of profit.
We know that methane and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) leak at every stage of the fracked gas supply chain. Unfortunately, the draft rule also includes a provision that allows for less frequent inspections, meaning that potentially significant leaks could go undetected, putting vulnerable residents at risk. This is unacceptable.
With recent rollbacks to federal methane rules and Pennsylvania's million-ton methane problem, strengthening the proposed rule is paramount for meeting the goals of Gov. Wolf's January 2019 executive order.
As methane is 80 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon and contributes to a quarter of global warming, imposing stronger regulations on oil and gas-related methane emissions in Pennsylvania will greatly reduce costly climate impacts, protect public health, and boost the economy.
A recent op-ed in the Erie Times-News pointed out that the methane mitigation industry is already a fast-growing sector in Pennsylvania, leading the way on methane capture and creating numerous opportunities for family sustaining jobs. Cutting methane emissions is the fastest and most-cost effective way to reduce climate impacts at present, and with today's technologies, the industry could reduce about a third of emissions with no net cost.
In addition to contributing to air pollution, many top oil and gas companies have long track records of wrongdoing and putting profits over people, as highlighted in an op-ed from the Pocono Record. These same companies often operate low-producing wells, benefitting from industry loopholes and lacking corporate accountability.
We'll continue to push Gov. Wolf and the DEP to close the pollution loopholes, hold these reckless companies accountable, and prevent the "worst of the worst" from continuing to pollute.
Our climate and our future depend on it.