Protect the health of our kids, families
The Dec. 18 article “Pa. Rule to Fight Oil, Gas Well Pollution Advances” addressed one of the most important protections we can have in the coming year for the health of our children and families in Pennsylvania: state methane rules.
As unconventional natural gas well pads, compressor stations and pipelines enter residential communities, strong protections are more important than ever. I live in Indiana Township with my husband and two young children, where a well pad has been fracked in a medium density residential area, which means there are parks, day care centers and schools nearby.
Methane is the primary component of natural gas, and Pennsylvania is the second largest producer of natural gas in the country. An Environmental Defense Fund study estimates emissions of methane are five times higher than the industry self reports. Unconventional gas operations can expose children to health and safety risks from air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds and methane that escape the wells together. Children are especially vulnerable to air pollution since their bodies are still developing.
Overwhelmingly, scientific studies indicate elevated risks to human health associated with unconventional oil and gas operations. When it comes to public health, communities have largely been left to protect themselves from the impacts of oil and gas infrastructure. As Pennsylvania is allowing this industrial process to occur in suburban residential communities like mine, parents who care deeply about protecting their families are speaking up. However, we can’t control the air our children breathe.
Thankfully, the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board has advanced a draft rule limiting pollution from oil and gas sites across the commonwealth. While the federal government is working to eliminate vital methane pollution safeguards, moms appreciate Gov. Tom Wolf’s leadership addressing climate change and protecting our children’s health.
As we begin this new decade, parents look forward to participating in a robust public comment period to ensure the state’s methane rules are among the most comprehensive and protective in the nation. Our children have a right to live in a clean environment and breathe clean air.
VANESSA LYNCH Indiana Township The writer is a field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force.