These 104 companies emitted 38.6 million metric tons of methane, measured in carbon dioxide equivalent, in 2014 and 38.1 million metric tons in 2015. The 2015 emissions are equivalent to the emissions generated from running more than 11 coal-fired power plants for a year or the emissions from burning 20 million tons of coal.18The United States could power 4 million homes for a year with the methane that these companies wasted in 2015.19
Many Latino communities face serious health risks caused by air pollution. What’s more, higher poverty levels and relatively lower rates of health insurance increase these health threats from air pollution translating into a bigger health burden on Latino communities. This report for the first time quantifies the elevated health risk that millions of Latinos face due to pollution from oil and gas facilities.
Many Latino communities face serious health risks caused by air pollution. What’s more, higher poverty levels and relatively lower rates of health insurance increase these health threats from air pollution translating into a bigger health burden on Latino communities. This report for the first time quantifies the elevated health risk that millions of Latinos face due to pollution from oil and gas facilities.
Plugging the Leaks estimates that nearly 5,400 direct and indirect jobs will be created annually in a variety of sectors, including manufacturing. With full and continuing adoption of leak reducing technologies and practices at new and modified oil and gas facilities, this would suggest creation of over 50,000 jobs over the first decade of full implementation of methane standards.
When inhaled, ozone smog can impair lung function, trigger asthma attacks, and aggravate diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema, in some cases leading to premature death. Children, the elderly, and people with existing respiratory conditions are the most at risk from ozone smog pollution, which can drive them to stay indoors in the warmer months when smog levels are highest, robbing children of their summers and others of their ability to work and recreate out of doors. However, the health impacts associated with ozone smog produced by pollution solely from the oil and gas industry have never before been quantified.
Methane (CH4) impacts climate as the second strongest anthropogenic greenhouse gas and air quality by influencing tropospheric ozone levels. Space-based observations have identified the Four Corners region in the Southwest United States as an area of large CH4 enhancements
New research on oil and gas industry compliance with methane emissions regulations released today by the Center for Methane Emissions Solutions (CMES) reveals that oil and gas industry representatives in Colorado feel that Colorado’s Regulation 7 is effective and that its benefits outweigh its costs.
Right now, when companies produce oil and gas, they release a tremendous amount of methane into the atmosphere. Much of this waste occurs on federally owned lands and subsurface minerals. In the West, where the majority of the nation’s public lands are located, existing state rules to guard against waste fail to address this problem. Fortunately, the federal government is setting new standards to provide a strong floor of protection, force the industry to act more responsibly, and guide states in updating their waste rules.
The American Lung Association's 2016 "State of the Air" report found continued improvement in air quality, but more than half (52.1%) of the people in the United States live in counties that have unhealthful levels of either ozone or particle pollution.