The hidden truth behind existing sources (of methane pollution)

Over the past year, the chatter on methane pollution from oil and gas operations has gotten much louder—and that's a good thing. This has been helped along by the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed rules in August 2015 to cut methane pollution from new and modified sources in the oil and gas industry. Going a step further, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed a four-point plan in January 2016 to curb methane pollution from new and existing sources of oil and gas operations in Pennsylvania. Last month, President Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to work on rules for existing sources of oil and gas methane pollution that would address emissions across the U.S. and Canada.

It's the latter proposals to cut existing sources of oil and gas methane pollution that have caused much consternation among oil and gas producers. These companies, and their lobbyists, are quick to offer sound bites suggesting that they've got this, they are addressing existing sources of pollution voluntarily as it's in their best interest, and that there's no need for what they view as unnecessary and duplicative standards. The short answers, from where we sit, are no, no and no.

Existing sources of oil and gas operations, or the hundreds of thousands of wells, tanks, and compressor stations across the U.S., routinely vent, flare and leak methane. Methane, or CH4, is the primary constituent of natural gas and is a potent greenhouse gas, 86 times more so than carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after its release into the atmosphere. This airborne pollution is a public health problem, a waste of our natural resources, and a climate disaster in the making.

When oil and gas producers refer to methane pollution and say they've got this, they're wrong. Methane pollution from existing sources—the bulk of the problem—continue to increase as both Pennsylvania and EPA inventories indicate. Where we have seen some marked declines is in the category of green well completions, or the process of completing a well and readying it for production. It's worth noting that green completions are the one regulated category of methane emissions. Two words: Rules work.

As to voluntary compliance, that's pretty much another fallacy. The EPA's Natural Gas STAR program, which promotes voluntary efforts to rein in oil and gas pollution, struggles with woefully low buy-in from the industry. While Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary John Quigley has singled out Southwestern, Shell, Chevron and CONSOL as large producers that work to cut methane pollution, he also acknowledges that the bulk of small-mid size producers are nowhere near curbing emissions on a voluntary basis. Further, Quigley has stated that methane emission figures in the state are "unrealistically low" because leaks are so common and rarely measured.

Lastly, the suggestion that proposed methane rules for existing sources in Pennsylvania would be unnecessary and duplicative is absurd. Unnecessary? See the two previous paragraphs. Duplicative? Impossible, as Pennsylvania currently has no comprehensive regulatory framework for methane pollution from oil and gas operations. Colorado does, Pennsylvania is working on it, and California recently proposed its own suite of methane rules. We applaud Sec. Quigley's continued call for "best-in-the-nation" standards on methane pollution in PA.

Existing sources of methane pollution are a clear and present danger and must be addressed. The Wolf administration is on its way to doing just that, and 70 percent of Pennsylvanians in a recent poll support the effort. The proposed rules are laudable, and we thank the governor for his bold leadership.

In the weeks and months ahead, PennFuture will provide ample opportunity for citizens of the commonwealth to show their support for rules that cover existing sources of methane pollution. It's time to rein in this harmful pollution and protect our communities. We stand ready to help.

Elaine Labalme is strategic campaigns director for PennFuture and is based in Pittsburgh.

All across the U.S., the talk is about "existing sources"

I had the pleasure, and privilege, of participating in a national methane fly-in on November 4-6 in Washington, D.C. Lest you think we flew methane-spewing drones over our nation's capital, this was actually a collection of 35 advocates from 10 states who met to discuss the issue of harmful methane pollution from the oil and gas sector. We also met with our elected leaders to urge them to support the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recently proposed rule to cut methane emissions from new and modified sources in the oil and gas sector including oil and gas wells and compressor stations.

The Pennsylvania delegation on its way to a White House meeting, from L-R: Patrice Tomcik, Western Pa. Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force; Dr. Evelyn Talbott, University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Marsha Haley, UPMC; Lois Bower-Bjornson, parent-activist, Washington County, Pa.; Matt Walker, Community Outreach Director, Clean Air Council; and Elaine Labalme, Strategic Campaigns Director, PennFuture.

And there's the rub. While we applaud the EPA for taking this important first step -- and it's certainly a step in the right direction -- the bulk of the methane pollution problem is from existing sources of emissions, or oil and gas wells that are here today, not waiting to be drilled tomorrow. By 2018, it is expected that 90 percent of methane pollution in the oil and gas sector will come from existing sources of emissions. In Pennsylvania, the second-largest natural gas producing state in the nation, that numbers thousands upon thousands of wells.

It was validating to hear that environmental advocates from as far away as New Mexico, Montana and North Dakota are just as concerned as we are in Pennsylvania around existing sources of methane pollution. These harmful emissions contribute to negative public health outcomes such as asthma attacks in children and lung and heart disease in seniors and those in under-served communities; are a wasted natural resource in that the $1 billion of methane emissions in 2013 could have heated five million U.S. homes and returned revenue to local communities; and exacerbate climate change as methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas with 86 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide in the first 20 years after its release into the atmosphere.

Forget the triple bottom line -- methane pollution is a disastrous triad for public health, the economy and the environment.

Here in Pennsylvania, we continue to call on Gov. Tom Wolf to launch a rulemaking for the direct regulation of methane emissions in Pennsylvania from new, modified and existing sources in the oil and gas sector.

In Washington, D.C. last week, our 10-state group of advocates -- which included representatives from labor, faith, parent and environmental groups along with passionate members of the Native American community -- had the opportunity to meet with representatives of the EPA's Bureau of Air Quality and urge the agency to expand its proposed methane rule to cover existing sources as well.

This is a fight we must win, and I was honored to stand alongside like-minded individuals in our nation's capital who were unafraid to sound the call for comprehensive, essential methane rules to protect our citizens and communities.

Elaine Labalme is strategic campaigns director for PennFuture and is based in Pittsburgh. She tweets @NewGirlInTown.

#ICYMI: Wolf issues oil train safety report

Gov. Tom Wolf's administration recently released a report featuring 27 recommendations to improve safety on Pennsylvania rail routes carrying Bakken crude oil. The report was prepared by Dr. Allan Zarembski, an expert on railroad engineering and safety from the University of Delaware. The report’s recommendations address what railroad companies and the commonwealth can do to reduce the risk of a crude-by-rail incident. 

While the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration is the only body with regulatory authority over railroads, Gov. Wolf has been vocal about the need to address crude-by-rail safety concerns. The administration’s state-level leadership on this issue is not surprising given that every week, 60 to 70 crude oil trains pass through Pennsylvania destined for refineries in Philadelphia and other locations in the region. About 705,000 Philadelphia-area residents live within a half-mile potential evacuation zone around railroad routes used to ship crude oil.

Photo: NBC10 Screenshot

What’s more, Philadelphians have had two close calls in recent history with train derailments. 

Earlier this year, a partial oil train derailment occurred in south Philadelphia, shutting down traffic along I-95. In January 2014, a train carrying Bakken crude derailed on a railroad bridge that crosses the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. Fortunately, there were no injuries and no immediate environmental impacts. 

However, as Philadelphia contemplates its own energy future, it's important that we discuss the potential safety implications of routing crude oil trains through on our densely populated urban area. 

Katie Bartolotta is southeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. She tweets @KatieBartolotta.  

Calling on Gov. Wolf to protect the Loyalsock State Forest

Summertime for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians of all walks of life means picnics, hikes, swimming and fishing on Pennsylvania's great public lands. One particular gem among our state parks and forests is the Loyalsock State Forest -- and this week, the Save the Loyalsock Coalition, representing 100,000 members, urged Gov. Tom Wolf to use his power to protect 25,000 acres of this irreplaceable place from gas drilling.

Rock Run - photo courtesy of Jeff Mitchell

The Save the Loyalsock Coalition was organized in 2012 in response to an urgent threat of proposed drilling on an extraordinary 25,000 acre tract of state forest land known as the Clarence Moore Lands, located primarily in Lycoming County. The Coalition's statewide and local conservation, recreation, fishing and outdoors organizations have engaged citizens and the previous administration in response to the threat of drilling in one of the area's last remaining unfragmented forests.

Gov. Wolf has already worked to protect other state lands from gas development, beginning with Executive Order 2015-03 to again prohibit new leases for gas development in our state parks and forests -- reversing the decision by the Corbett administration. However, since the Clarence Moore Lands are not protected by the moratorium, the magnificent Rock Run (pictured above), the Old Loggers Path trail, and an Audubon Society-designated Important Bird Area are all still at risk of being irreversibly altered by major gas development. 

"Unbroken wilderness areas across our Commonwealth are being increasingly reduced due to gas development infrastructure," said Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of PennFuture. "Keeping the Loyalsock's unique Clarence Moore Lands safe for citizens to hike, fish, and experience while protecting rare and endangered species' critical habitat are values shared by countless Pennsylvanians."

You can tour this beautiful and wild part of Penn's Woods via the Loyalsock story map, thanks to FracTracker. Read the Coalition's full letter and press release, and watch for more actions you can take to add your voice to hundreds of thousands of citizens saying: Save the Loyalsock Forest.

Kate Gibbons is northeastern Pennsylvania outreach coordinator and is based in Wilkes-Barre.

Natural gas lobbyists want to silence "public interests."

At a hearing of Pennsylvania's Oil & Gas Technical Advisory Board (TAB) on March 20 to discuss proposed revisions to the state's oil and gas regulations, natural gas industry lobbyists said that "public interests" should not be among the "considerations" when weighing new drilling standards. We're not kidding -- they really said that, and it was picked up in a story by Laura Legere of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Dave Conti at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review also weighed in.

These lobbyists would just as soon dismiss the over 24,000 public comments submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on the proposed rules, which will cover everything from how to handle fracking wastewater -- to keep it from leaching into our drinking water -- to surface activities at well sites including contamination of our air and land as well as noise and light pollution.

Pennsylvania's oil and gas law, Act 13, was passed in 2012. Since then, industry has been dragging out and delaying the process for common sense rules of the road that will help ensure public health and the environment are protected, a standard requested by Gov. Tom Wolf more than once on the campaign trail and since he took office.

Specific proposals include centralized wastewater impoundments; the placement of well pads near public resources that could include schools, parks and playgrounds; and restoring contaminated drinking water supplies to pre-drilling conditions. Similarly, we will need to address methane emissions -- a potent greenhouse gas -- with strong rules as voluntary measures are not working.

It's outrageous that natural gas interests believe the public interest should be dismissed. The impacts of natural gas drilling, an inherently industrial activity, affect our children and families today and may well into the future. We have a right to be heard, and the TAB has the responsibility of recommending standards that will protect the public interest.

Elaine Labalme is director of communications for PennFuture and is based in Pittsburgh.

BREAKING: Gov. Tom Wolf proposes a 5 percent severance tax on natgas drilling in PA

John Norbeck, acting president and CEO of PennFuture, today issued the following statement regarding Gov. Wolf's proposed 5 percent severance tax on natural gas drilling activity in Pennsylvania:

“Gov. Wolf has heeded the call of Pennsylvanians, who strongly support a severance tax on natural gas drilling in the Keystone state,” said John Norbeck, acting president and CEO of PennFuture. “Pennsylvania is currently the largest natural gas-producing state without a severance tax, and it's time that drillers pay their fair share. As the governor noted, a portion of the tax will deal with the environmental impacts of drilling, an inherently industrial activity. We urge him to also apportion funding from this tax toward renewable energy and energy efficiency.

“Pennsylvania has a history of extractive industries that have harmed the environment and left successive generations to pay for the damage. Gov. Wolf's actions today clearly show that this pattern will come to a close.

“The governor is making it clear that the rights of the citizens of Pennsylvania come first, and the Sheriff is back in town when it comes to natural gas drilling. We cheered his reinstatement less than two weeks ago of the moratorium on new drilling leases of public lands, and applaud his actions today on taxing shale gas drilling in Pennsylvania. Enacting a rule to control methane emissions from natural gas operations should be next on Gov. Wolf's list, a move supported by 70 percent of Pennsylvanians in a recent poll.”