Gov. Tom Wolf and the Department of Environmental Protection showed strong leadership Tuesday by recommending steps for regulatory action to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from the oil and gas industry in Pennsylvania – the second largest producer of natural gas in the country.

Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is released into the atmosphere when natural gas is leaked, vented or flared. It is a potent climate pollutant responsible for about a quarter of today’s global warming. Methane is also often emitted with other smog-forming pollutants that in recent years have exacerbated health concerns in many areas of Pennsylvania.

"Today’s announcement by Gov. Wolf is welcome news and sets the stage for much needed regulatory clarity that will improve air quality, protect Pennsylvanians, and have significant impacts on the Commonwealth’s greenhouse gas emissions,” said Davitt Woodwell, President of the PA Environmental Council. “This is an important step, and Governor Wolf is right to commit to best-in-class management of the impacts of natural gas development including the strong air quality protections that Pennsylvanians deserve. We look forward to swift implementation.”

“Methane is a powerful pollutant escaping in large volumes from thousands of oil and gas facilities nationwide,” said Fred Krupp, Environmental Defense Fund President. “Governor Wolf’s recommendation for action signals an important commitment that Pennsylvania will no longer ignore the air quality and climate impacts caused by the state’s extensive natural gas development.”

Action to reduce oil and gas emissions is building. In August 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first national limits of methane emissions from the oil and gas industry, following similar steps taken in Colorado, Wyoming, Ohio and California.

EPA’s rules target methane reductions from future oil and gas operations and do not address emissions from oil and gas facilities already in operation. Pennsylvania’s proposal, if turned into regulation, will help reduce emissions from the thousands of oil and gas facilities already in operation in Pennsylvania.

PennFuture, Other Groups Laud Wolf’s Proposed Methane Reduction Rule

A broad coalition, which includes environmental, parent, and faith groups, Tuesday applauded Gov. Tom Wolf for his proposal on rules to cut methane pollution from oil and gas operations in Pennsylvania.

The Governor's action, they said, will pave the way for strong rules that address both new and existing sources of pollution, including the many thousands of gas wells in the state.

"This announcement is welcome news for Pennsylvanians forced to co-exist with an industry playing by its own rules no matter how damaging to people and the planet," said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of PennFuture. "Gov. Wolf's bold leadership takes an important and much needed step toward protecting the health of Pennsylvania citizens from drillers' harmful methane pollution. This industry is recklessly wasting natural resources and appears to care little about the health of its neighbors or the rapidly warming planet resulting from emissions of this potent greenhouse gas."

Methane (CH4) is the primary component of natural gas and, alongside other toxic co-pollutants, leads to the formation of ground-level ozone (smog) that contributes to increasing incidence of asthma attacks in children as well as pulmonary and heart disease in seniors and the disadvantaged.

"Our children deserve clean air to breathe and the prospect of a healthy future, and Gov. Wolf's action today will help ensure that," said Gretchen Dahlkemper, national field manager for Moms Clean Air Force. "Clean air is a right guaranteed by the Pennsylvania constitution and yet our leaders to date have catered to polluters at the expense of our kids. Gov. Wolf has turned the page, and parents across the state are grateful."

"A moral society needs to care for its most vulnerable citizens and in acting today, Gov. Wolf has shown that he will do just that as he moves to protect Pennsylvania residents from unnecessary methane pollution," said Sister Mary Elizabeth Clark of the Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa. "Our fossil fuel industry has shown little regard for air, land and water. We support the governor's action to protect citizens from an industry that has not proven itself a good neighbor."

"Air quality is a chronic problem in Pennsylvania and not just in drilling regions such as southwestern Pennsylvania," noted Rachel Filippini, executive director of Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP). "People across the state are paying the price for the oil and gas industry's air pollution. These rules are a significant step forward in reining in air pollution from this industry."

"Methane pollution from oil and gas operations – in both our water and air – has long been a concern for Pennsylvanians and yet, drillers have been given near carte blanche to pollute," said Steve Hvozdovich, Pennsylvania campaigns director for Clean Water Action. "Today's action by Gov. Wolf makes clear that our chief executive will set the terms by which this industry can operate in Pennsylvania. As the second-largest natural gas producing state in the nation, we can afford nothing less."

The coalition includes: PennFuture, Moms Clean Air Force, Sisters of Saint Joseph Earth Center, Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), and Clean Water Action.

NewsClips:

Wolf Targets Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas Operations

Wolf Unveils New Methane Regulations For Oil & Gas Industry

Wolf Announces Plan To Reduce Gas Well Methane Emissions

Wolf Pursues Methane Emissions Reduction Plan

PA To Tighten Methane Emission Rules On Shale Gas Drillers

Environmentalists, Shale Coalition Respond To Wolf’s Methane Rules

DEP: State’s Methane Figures Unrealistic

DEP Unsure How Much Methane is In The Air As It Proposes New Regs

DEP Plans More Monitoring to Clamp Down On Methane Leaks

House Republicans Question Wolf’s Crackdown On Methane

PA Chamber: May Sure Business Is At Table On Methane Regs

Click Here To Watch Gov. Wolf’s Facebook Town Hall On Methane Rules

Op-Ed: Climate Change: Confirmed

Editorial: New Gas Industry Methane Regs Breath of Fresh Air

Editorial: Sound Action On Methane

U.S. Moves To Limit Methane Emissions On Federal Lands

Feds Push Limits On Methane Gas Flaring

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Wolf Announces New Methane Regulations On Oil & Gas Industry

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Op-Ed: Pennsylvania Signals Strong Steps On Methane

1/25/2016