Hi John,

It was 5 PM on a Friday when we got a text from someone we work with who lives near a local oil and gas facility. They were fed up with the ongoing apocalyptic flames and black smoke filling the air. They'd had enough of the ER visits caused by the smoke-filled smog and seeing their kids get sick from pollution while playing outside.

Where there's drilling, there's fire… but, also, sometimes, just gushing pollution. The scariest part? Sometimes the pollution is invisible to the naked eye. What you see in the picture above is only visible with the specialized OGI cameras that Earthworks uses.

For millions of Americans, that pollution is coming at them nonstop in the form of what's called flaring. And it's poisoning the air you breathe.

You'll find flaring anywhere energy companies are drilling or processing natural gas or oil. The process releases excess methane — a major climate pollutant — and other cancer-causing toxins. With no real plan for dealing with it, companies often release it into the air by burning it off.

The oil and gas industry doesn't care that they are harming people or destroying the environment. They're running a $4+ trillion business concerned about one thing — profits, not people.

Tell the EPA to step up and protect families instead of billionaires. The EPA needs to implement rules that prevent flaring and support local government efforts to control emissions that are hurting frontline communities.

Governments may claim to ban "routine flaring," but the rules are riddled with loopholes—and there's little will to strengthen them.

Local agencies also lack the staff and funding to monitor thousands of oil and gas sites. Now, the EPA is abandoning its oversight role and reducing support to states and frontline communities.

Earthworks is on the ground daily with Optical Gas Imaging (OGI) cameras. We're documenting shocking levels of pollution near homes, schools, and neighborhoods. We're working with local leaders to fight back, but many lack the necessary resources or authority to take action.

The EPA is trying to step back from its mandated role to protect public health or regulate oil and gas production, but we must hold them accountable for the American people.

Tell the EPA to act now.

Thank you for speaking out.

In solidarity,

Andrew Forkes-Gudmundson
Senior Manager for State Policy