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EPA: New air rules for natural gas are coming

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I’m celebrating but with reservations.

EPA chief promises action on air pollution from gas drilling

Environmental Protection Agency head Lisa Jackson said Tuesday her agency is working on air quality regulations for areas impacted by natural gas production and hydraulic fracturing.

Yay! Right? Only, this part worries me:

…Jackson said her agency is acting to control air quality in areas that are facing new impacts.

I hope that is not a hint that the new rules will only cover new sources and not existing sources. If it’s just new sources, then we are sunk.

“You are going to have huge smog problems where you never had them before,” she said. “These are rural areas. … There is a lot of activity around those wells and that has an impact on air quality — and we know it already. The EPA will soon be coming out with regulations to deal with the air quality around natural gas production.”

Yeah, we knew that too, and we didn’t need to study it for two years.

When fracking comes up she mentions “bad actors.” Okay, we all know about bad actors. But who are the good actors? Can you name one? Just one?
Is that the sound of crickets chirping?
*–insert the obligatory blather about economic benefits and “transitioning” to cleaner energy while completely ignoring all the MASSIVE infrastructure buildout required to support this supposed “transition” fuel and further ignoring the horrible impact this development has on our neighborhoods, and be sure to say nothing about depleting our water supply or what they are doing with all the MASSIVE toxic waste generated.–*
This part is promising.

“Natural gas production will thrive in this country,” she said, “unless the American people and investors come to believe it’s not going to be financially viable or it’s going to hurt their health … The way you avoid that is by stepping up to regulation rather than running from it.”

Raise your hand if you believe natural gas will harm your health?
Jackson wraps up her interview with instructions on what we need to do if we want to see any of that “Hope and Change” we were promised.

Jackson noted the prominence green jobs took in Obama’s campaign, and some of the administration’s work promoting carbon legislation. But, she said, the electorate isn’t calling for immediate action.

“They’re not marching on Washington the way they did on Earth Day in the 70s,” she said. And, she added, Obama is doing what he can with the public will he’s been given.

Those are marching orders, my friends.

About Sharon Wilson

Sharon Wilson is considered a leading citizen expert on the impacts of shale oil and gas extraction. She is the go-to person whether it’s top EPA officials from D.C., national and international news networks, or residents facing the shock of eminent domain and the devastating environmental effects of natural gas development in their backyards.

Comments

  2. Anonymous says

    Not to change the subject what is a gas metering station and how a will it effect a neighborhood/area. please fill me in.
    Marcellus

  3. Anonymous says

    Don't know about up there–but, in Tx a metering station can be pretty much anything. About all you can count on is that there will be at least one meter on site! Usually there are dehydrators on site and H2S treaters, compressors on site. Lots of pipelines coming and going. They tend to add more and more stuff as time goes along. Suggest you go down to the local court house and see how much land is leased or sold to the operator for this station–that may give you a clue as to expected size.