Wild at Heart Wild at Heart (No. 11) : Page 5
KEEPING THE FRACK OUT OF THE AIR Guardians Spurs Pollution Cuts ECOFLIGHT Jeremy Nichols Why Are YOU a Guardian? a “clear potential for oil and gas development to negatively affect regional O3 [ozone] concentrations in the western United States, including several treasured national parks and wilderness areas in the Four Corners region.” As the current drilling boom has expanded, other parts of the country, including Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, are facing their own clean air challenges. The EPA’s proposed rules won’t solve all our problems, but they’re a big step forward. Once finalized, they would: Oil and gas flaring in North Park, Colorado. • Reduce volatile organic compound emissions by 540,000 tons, a reduction of 25%. Volatile organic compounds react with sunlight to form smog. • Reduce methane emissions by 3.4 million tons, equal to 65 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, a reduction of about 26%. This will be like eliminating 15 coal-fired power plants. • Reduce cancer-causing air pollutants, such as benzene, by 38,000 tons, a 30% reduction. Because state air quality regulations must at least be as stringent as federal regulations, the rules will provide a much stronger safety net for our health and the environment. To be clear, fossil fuels, including natural gas, are no substitute for clean energy. Every dollar invested in natural gas unfortunately is a dollar denied to rooftop solar, wind farms, and efficiency. Yet as we push for a full transition from fossil fuels, we must address the current impacts. The EPA’s proposed rules are a long time coming and they promise major improvements for peoples’ lives and real benefits for the climate. Importantly, they promise to help expose the true cost of drilling and to make the case for real clean-energy solutions. Stay tuned for more on this story. Visit our website: Take Action>Current Actions A ir pollution from oil and gas drilling is in the crosshairs thanks to W ild E arth G uardians ’ efforts. First on the list of sources to be cleaned up: a nasty process called hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as fracking. The clean up will be great news for our health and our environment, as well as for our climate. In 2009, W ild E arth G uardians and the San Juan Citizens Alliance filed suit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its failure to update clean air regulations for the oil and gas industry. In response, on July 28, 2011, the EPA finally issued a milestone proposal to rein in air pollution from oil and gas drilling. Oil and gas drilling is messy, there’s no other way to put it. The process releases toxic air pollution at every step and worse, is one of the leading sources of methane emissions. Methane is 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide in its heat-trapping abilities. Here in the West, drilling is fueling record high smog levels in Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah. A recent study found that there is “I’m very happy to be back in Santa Fe, working again with W ild E arth G uardians for the fall semester. I hope that my contribution aids in the conservation and restoration of a vital New Mexican resource – healthy, flowing rivers and streams. Overallocation, intensive management, growing water demands, and climate change all threaten our rivers’ balance and ecological function. Damaged rivers and riparian areas in turn threaten native species and humans alike. I want to change that by conserving water at the local level, and planning for sustainable water use that leaves more of our water where it really belongs – in the rivers.” — j EssE t rEmainE Santa Fe, New Mexico, Summer 2010 Legal Intern, Fall 2011 Wild Rivers Intern Why are you a G uardian ? Visit our website and let us know. CLEAN AIR GETS NEW HOPE IN OVERDRILLED SAN JUAN BASIN On August 1, W ild E arth G uardians won a precedent-setting ruling from the EPA holding the State of New Mexico failed to keep air pollution in check at the Sims Mesa natural gas compressor station. Sims Mesa is one of dozens of compressor stations in the San Juan Basin of northwestern New Mexico, where over 23,000 oil and gas wells pump out millions of tons of toxic air pollution. The ruling gives us powerful leverage to rein in air pollution from drilling operations throughout the region. 5
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