WildEarth Guardians

Monday, September 26, 2011
Westerners Join Others Across the Country in Calling on EPA to Keep Air Safe from Fracking

Hearings on Proposed Updates to Federal Clean Air Standards to be Held in Denver, Dallas, Pittsburgh
Contact: Jeremy Nichols (303) 573-4898 x 1303

Denver—On September 28, 2011, citizens throughout the Rocky Mountain West will be calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to follow through with its proposal to tighten air pollution limits for oil and gas drilling, noting that the region’s clean air has suffered serious declines in recent years due to unchecked emissions.

At a public hearing that will be held on Wednesday at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, the EPA will take testimony on a proposal to greatly improve air quality in the face of ramped up oil and gas drilling nationwide.  First released in late August, environmental and public health groups across the country have applauded the agency’s efforts to strengthen nationwide air quality safeguards for oil and gas development.  Individuals and groups from the region intend to voice their support, but also call on the EPA to ensure that public health comes first.

Hearings will also be held in Pittsburgh on September 27 and in Dallas on September 29.

The EPA’s proposed rules promise innumerable benefits, including:

• The proposed rules would generate a net savings of $30 million annually due to increased recovery of methane, otherwise known as natural gas.
• The proposed rules would reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions by 540,000 tons, an industry-wide reduction of 25%.  VOCs react with sunlight to form ground-level ozone, the key ingredient of smog and contain other toxic compounds.
• The proposed rules would reduce methane emissions by 3.4 million tons, which is equal to 65 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, a reduction of about 26%.   This will be like eliminating the carbon dioxide emissions of 15 coal-fired power plants.
• The proposed rules would reduce toxic air pollutants, such as benzene, a known carcinogen, by 38,000 tons, a 30% reduction.

Because state air quality regulations must at least be as stringent as federal regulations, the final rules will ultimately provide a stronger safety net for public health across the United States.  Read more about WildEarth Guardians’ perspective on the proposed rules here.

The proposal comes as air pollution from the oil and gas industry is increasingly impacting communities across the country.  Fracking has enabled more extensive and intensive drilling than ever before.  Growing smog problems and increasing exposure to cancer-causing benzene and other toxic compounds have been reported more and more frequently to be associated with oil and gas drilling.

However, federal air quality regulations have failed to keep pace with these challenges, leaving significant air pollution sources completely unregulated.  One set of regulations were adopted in 1985 and have not been updated since.  In 2009, WildEarth Guardians filed suit against the Agency to spur the proposed updates.

More Details

Public hearings on the EPA’s proposal to update air quality standards for the oil and gas industry.

Pittsburgh

Tuesday September 27
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Rooms 315-316 (100 Ft. Duquesne Blvd.)
9 A.M. to 8:P.M.

Denver

Wednesday September 28
Colorado Convention Center, Room 207 (700 14^th St.)
9 A.M. to 8 P.M.

Dallas (Arlington)

Thursday September 29
Arlington Municipal Building, City Council Chambers (101 W. Abram St., Arlington, TX
8 A.M. to 9 P.M.