Testimony of Jessica Eckdish at EPA Hearing on Methane Standards
The BlueGreen Alliance's Jessica Eckdish testified at an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hearing on July 10, 2017 to oppose an effort to delay standards for new and modified sources of methane in the oil and gas industry and to urge the administration to move forward with these and other common-sense efforts to reduce methane emissions.
The oil and gas industry is the largest source of methane emissions in the U.S. Lost and leaking natural gas costs billions of dollars every year—nationwide, these activities waste the amount of gas it takes to heat nearly 7 million homes. These emissions are often due to outmoded practices and technology utilized by the industry. This waste is unnecessary. Common sense and cost-effective solutions exist today to significantly reduce these emissions.
Reducing methane emissions in the United States is a great example of how America’s environmental challenges can also be economic opportunities. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is many times more potent than carbon dioxide and the second largest contributor to climate change. Together with other dangerous pollutants that are released from oil and gas equipment, these emissions also damage air quality, and threaten the health and wellbeing of workers in the industry and nearby communities who are on the front lines of this exposure.
Read Jessica’s full testimony by clicking the download button below.