image description

Maryland AG opposes EPA proposal

November 22nd, 2019 by WCBC Radio

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh, joining a coalition of attorneys general and the City of Chicago, today filed comments opposing an unlawful proposal by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which would gut the current standards that limit emissions of methane and other harmful pollutants from new, reconstructed, and modified facilities in the oil and natural gas industry.  This sector is the largest industrial source of methane emissions, a greenhouse gas up to 84-times more potent than carbon dioxide in its ability to trap heat.

 

“Gutting a common-sense rule that protects the health of our environment and of our citizens is contrary to the mission and purpose of the EPA,” said Attorney General Frosh.  “EPA and the Trump Administration have again ignored clear evidence of harm to our natural resources and our communities while siding with corporate polluters.” 

 

The proposed rule would increase emissions of hazardous air pollutants, methane, and volatile organic compounds (VOC), accelerating the impacts of climate change.  VOC emissions contribute to the formation of ozone, which poses a significant threat to public health, particularly to children, older adults, and those suffering from chronic lung disease and asthma.

The weakened standards would undermine a common-sense rule that reduces harmful pollutants and recovers valuable natural gas that would otherwise be lost.  The current standard, which was set in 2016, is estimated to prevent 300,000 tons of methane emissions in 2020 and 510,000 tons in 2025.  In 2016, the EPA analyzed the costs and benefits of the current standard, including the revenues generated from recovered natural gas that would otherwise be vented, and determined that the standard would result in a net benefit estimated at $35 million in 2020 and $170 million in 2025.

One Response to “Maryland AG opposes EPA proposal”

  1. November 22, 2019 at 4:59 pm, mac said:

    Leave it to the Trump regime to continue to find ways to help big business to the detriment of the rest of us. Banking regulations, consumer protections, environmental regulations or even the internet. This just continues, when will it end?

    Reply

Leave a Reply