On February 13, the York County-based Evangelical Environmental Network submitted 103,436 comments from individual pro-life Christians calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen supplemental rulemaking for Existing and New Source Standards for Reducing Methane and Toxins from the Oil/Gas Section (Docket # ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0317).

The comments read as follows--

As pro-life Christians, we want the air we breathe to be safe for our children. But leaks in our oil/gas infrastructure spew toxic pollutants that put God's creation and our families - pregnant mothers and the unborn - in harm's way.

Unborn children close to leaks are at higher risk of birth defects, and children attending school near leaks have higher rates of cancer and asthma.

That's why Christians are calling on the EPA to ensure that stronger regulations and inspections included in EPA's Methane Supplemental Rule are never weakened. We want maximum protection for our children from pollution, particularly from low-producing wells.

We also call on EPA to make the rule stronger by--

-- Limiting flaring except as needed for safety or maintenance.

-- Including all storage tanks in the standard to reduce the leaks.

-- Providing a clear way for communities to monitor and report large leaks from the oil and gas industry.

“This overwhelming support from our community is a witness to their strong concern for defending the health and lives of children from the threats of toxins and climate warming methane from the oil/gas industry,” stated the Rev. Mitch Hescox, President/CEO of EEN. “It says a lot that no other group has generated as many comments as these pro-life Christians. It is a witness to their strong commitment to defend all of human life from conception until natural death.”

The updated draft rule improves upon or maintains many of the standards in the original draft rule released by EPA in 2021, including ensuring all wells are regularly and frequently inspected for leaks and that outdated pneumatic equipment is replaced with zero-emitting options.

“We’ve waited far too long to defend our kids from these toxins,” continued Hescox. “In addition to ensuring that each of these key provisions stays in the final rule, there is more work to be done to defend public health—especially the health of children, both born and unborn. Let’s finalize these rules and go to work to improve the lives of our children.”

For more information, visit the Evangelical Environmental Network website.  Questions should be directed to: The Rev. Mitchell C. Hescox, President/CEO, Evangelical Environmental Network, call 717- 850-3783 or send email to: mitch@creationcare.org.

(Photo: Photo from space of a leak of an estimated 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas/methane from Equitrans Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility in Cambria county provided by Environmental Defense Fund.)

Related Articles:

-- Evangelical Environmental Network Testifies In Congress On Need To Require Real Oil & Gas Well Plugging Bonding Reform, Defend Our Children’s Health & Taxpayers By Fixing Oil & Gas Facility Methane Leaks

-- Guest Essay: Stop Giving Handouts To Natural Gas Industry, Make Them Clean Up Their Own Messes And Protect Public Health

-- DEP Issues Orders To Equitrans To Plug Additional Wells At Cambria County Underground Natural Gas Storage Facility, Bring Other Wells Up To Current Casing Standards And Take Other Actions [PaEN]

-- EDF: Conventional Gas Wells In Allegheny National Forest Leaked Over 6 Billion Cubic Feet Of Natural Gas In 2019; Conventional Operators Seek To Block Methane Limits  [PaEN]

-- Marcellus Drilling News: 3 Conventional Oil & Gas Industry Groups File Lawsuit To Block Rule Limiting VOC/Methane Emissions From Conventional Oil & Gas Facilities [PaEN]

 -- DEP Ongoing Explosion/Fire Investigation: Energy Transfer Reported An Uncontrolled Release Of Ethane For 9.5 Hours From Its Revolution Natural Gas Processing Plant In Washington County  [PaEN]

-- Feature: 60 Years Of Fracking, 20 Years Of Shale Gas: Pennsylvania’s Oil & Gas Industrial Infrastructure Is Hiding In Plain Sight [PaEN]

-- DEP 2021 Oil & Gas Program Annual Report Shows Conventional Oil & Gas Operators Received A Record 610 Notices Of Violation For Abandoning Wells Without Plugging Them  [PaEN]

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP Climate Change Committee To Discuss Scope Of Next Climate Impacts Assessment Report, Climate Action Plan Feb. 21 [PaEN]

-- PA Technical Assistance Program Highlights Upcoming Pollution Prevention Roundtables, Clean Energy Transition, Other Educational Programs For Businesses  [PaEN]

[Posted: February 13, 2023]

2/20/2023