Friend –

One in seven Pennsylvanians live within a half mile of an oil or gas facility, and more Pennsylvanians are at risk of cancer caused by the methane-producing oil and gas industry than any other state.

Cutting methane pollution from the oil and gas industry is the quickest, most cost effective way to protect our health and slow the rate of climate change.

Fortunately, we have an opportunity to address this threat now! President Biden and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have proposed a new policy to reduce methane and other harmful pollutants from the oil and gas industry. The proposed policy is a great start, but as it’s written now, it would allow unnecessary gas flaring, and it does not go far enough to empower residents to participate in the process to protect their communities from air pollution.

Friend, please tell the Environmental Protection Agency to strengthen its proposed methane policy and to not let industry off the hook for unnecessary flaring.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and, when released through oil extraction and refining, its climate impact is twice as much as all the cars in Pennsylvania combined.

We have an opportunity to protect Pennsylvania’s communities, but we need a clear pathway to participate in the Super Emitter Response Program because through this initiative communities will know when there is a large methane leak, putting pressure on oil and gas polluters to act quickly to fix the problem.

We have just TWO WEEKS to speak out. Submit an official comment to the EPA demanding the end to unnecessary gas flaring and supporting the resources our communities need.

Thanks for all that you do,

Michelle Giles
Policy Analyst
Conservation Voters of PA