Story first appeared in USA Today.
Six U.S. senators are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately examine the health threats posed by forgotten factory sites featured in a recent USA TODAY investigation.
In a letter sent Wednesday to the EPA Administrator, the senators urged the EPA to take immediate action to review unassessed sites and to set priorities for remediation, such as sites near schools or playgrounds. It is necessary to ensure that people living near these sites, especially children, are safe.
These former lead smelter sites may no longer exist, but as USA Today has revealed, residual contamination continues to pervade many communities in Ohio and across America. Several sites featured in the series were in Cleveland and Cincinnati. The EPA must move quickly to ensure that Ohioans living near these sites are aware of the potential hazards, and to place these sites on a high priority list for remediation.
Several sites in Philadelphia were featured also. The USA Today investigation have confirmed that the EPA must move quickly to ensure the children and people of Pennsylvania are protected. The residual contamination poses a serious public health risk to children.
In a statement, the EPA said it shares the Senators' concern for protecting Americans' health. The EPA is currently reviewing USA Today's sampling data and case studies and has already begun evaluating a number of the sites on the list to determine if they pose a risk to the surrounding communities - we will continue to work with states and local partners to evaluate those sites for Manufacturing Quality Assurance.
A 14-month USA TODAY investigation, published last month, revealed that government regulators did little to investigate and protect the public from the toxic fallout that remains in soil around many of the hundreds of former lead factories, often called smelters, that operated during the 1930s to 1960s — before environmental regulations. The EPA was given a list of the former factory locations more than 10 years ago. At dozens of sites, EPA investigators recommended soil testing to determine what risks remained, but at most of the sites it was never done, USA TODAY found.
USA TODAY found evidence of smelting or factory work at more than 230 of the sites nationwide. The newspaper's tests of soil in 21 neighborhoods around former smelter sites in 13 states found dangerous levels of lead in many locations. The lead in the soil probably comes from a combination of sources, including factory emissions, the legacy of leaded gasoline use as well as flaking lead-based paint. Regardless of the source, the human body treats lead as a poison linked especially in children to lost intelligence, ADHD and other health problems.
Officials at some national environmental organizations have expressed outrage that the EPA has known about the factory sites for years yet failed to warn people living nearby. Factory Audits and Qualifications processes should have been implemented prior to closure to make sure that the poisons wouldn't be left where they were.
The senators' letter expressed concern about the risks posed by the old factories and that families with young children have unsuspectingly allowed children to be exposed to higher than recommended lead levels.
The letter noted USA TODAY's finding that soil testing wasn't done — as recommended — at some sites. EPA regional offices that were directed to test legacy sites either lacked the funds to do so or, unfortunately, did not communicate this possible concern to local public health or environmental officials. Better answers to public health concerns and ways to address necessary cleanup issues are needed to ensure that families can rest assured that their neighborhoods are safe for their children.
For more national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical
blog.
For law related news, visit the Nation
of Law blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and
Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
Showing posts with label Environmental Protection Agency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environmental Protection Agency. Show all posts
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
EPA Releases Air Pollution Rules
Story first appeared in The Wall Street Journal.
The Environmental Protection Agency released long-awaited rules to control air pollution from hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" on Wednesday, marking one of its first efforts to regulate the widely used technique of extracting oil and natural gas.
In releasing the standards, the EPA did offer a concession to oil and natural gas companies by delaying the required use of pollution-control equipment until 2015. Under a proposal unveiled last year, the EPA would have required companies to use the equipment almost immediately.
The industry praised the EPA for giving it more time to comply, but environmental groups said the agency should have been more aggressive with its requirements.
The EPA air chief told reporters Wednesday that a decision to delay compliance was made by agency staff, based on their understanding of the way the industry operated, and was not politically motivated.
Representatives from several energy companies--including ExxonMobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips--met with EPA and White House officials in recent weeks to try to shape the rule.
The EPA's rule, which affects about 13,000 wells drilled each year, coincides with a massive boom in natural gas production that has created opportunities for fuel switching but has also prompted concerns about air pollution and water contamination.
The President has touted natural gas as a valuable domestic resource that can replace coal for electricity generation and supplant oil as a transportation fuel.
The rules announced Wednesday require energy companies to capture smog-forming pollution known as volatile organic compounds when they "frack" a well rather than let it escape into the atmosphere.
Fracking involves the use of a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals to break apart energy-rich rocks. Toward the end of the process, a combination of fracking fluids and gas rush to the surface and can escape into the atmosphere. It's one of the largest sources of air pollution from the energy industry, the EPA has said.
The EPA's rules don't address aspects of the fracking process that could cause water contamination. The agency is in the process of studying the impact of fracking on water, but said recently that it verified the safety of water in Pennsylvania and would do additional testing on water in Wyoming that it previously said appeared to be affected by local fracking activity.
Under the rules announced Wednesday, oil and gas companies will be forced to use "green completion" technology by 2015. Until then, they will be required to burn off emissions by flaring the natural gas, a common industry practice already used by energy companies to reduce pollution.
Flaring was 95% effective in reducing volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
The EPA was under a court-ordered deadline to develop the air-quality rules after being sued by environmental groups that had accused the agency of failing to follow the law. The EPA said its rule will improve the air quality in regions where a lot of oil and natural gas drilling occurs.
While the purpose of the EPA's rule is to reduce VOCs, the standards will also cut methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Scientists have recently started to raise questions about the amount of so-called methane leaks from natural gas wells, saying the emissions might make natural gas less friendly to the environment than has been assumed.
In the weeks leading up to Wednesday's announcement, oil and natural gas companies urged EPA and White House officials to delay the green-completion requirements because they said there wasn't enough equipment to go around. Companies would have to line up to use the equipment and stall their production projects until it became available, they said.
Environmental groups said the industry had exaggerated the scarcity of the equipment.
Left to police itself for too long, the oil and gas industry has failed even to adopt pollution controls that pay for themselves.
For more national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
The Environmental Protection Agency released long-awaited rules to control air pollution from hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" on Wednesday, marking one of its first efforts to regulate the widely used technique of extracting oil and natural gas.
In releasing the standards, the EPA did offer a concession to oil and natural gas companies by delaying the required use of pollution-control equipment until 2015. Under a proposal unveiled last year, the EPA would have required companies to use the equipment almost immediately.
The industry praised the EPA for giving it more time to comply, but environmental groups said the agency should have been more aggressive with its requirements.
The EPA air chief told reporters Wednesday that a decision to delay compliance was made by agency staff, based on their understanding of the way the industry operated, and was not politically motivated.
Representatives from several energy companies--including ExxonMobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips--met with EPA and White House officials in recent weeks to try to shape the rule.
The EPA's rule, which affects about 13,000 wells drilled each year, coincides with a massive boom in natural gas production that has created opportunities for fuel switching but has also prompted concerns about air pollution and water contamination.
The President has touted natural gas as a valuable domestic resource that can replace coal for electricity generation and supplant oil as a transportation fuel.
The rules announced Wednesday require energy companies to capture smog-forming pollution known as volatile organic compounds when they "frack" a well rather than let it escape into the atmosphere.
Fracking involves the use of a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals to break apart energy-rich rocks. Toward the end of the process, a combination of fracking fluids and gas rush to the surface and can escape into the atmosphere. It's one of the largest sources of air pollution from the energy industry, the EPA has said.
The EPA's rules don't address aspects of the fracking process that could cause water contamination. The agency is in the process of studying the impact of fracking on water, but said recently that it verified the safety of water in Pennsylvania and would do additional testing on water in Wyoming that it previously said appeared to be affected by local fracking activity.
Under the rules announced Wednesday, oil and gas companies will be forced to use "green completion" technology by 2015. Until then, they will be required to burn off emissions by flaring the natural gas, a common industry practice already used by energy companies to reduce pollution.
Flaring was 95% effective in reducing volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
The EPA was under a court-ordered deadline to develop the air-quality rules after being sued by environmental groups that had accused the agency of failing to follow the law. The EPA said its rule will improve the air quality in regions where a lot of oil and natural gas drilling occurs.
While the purpose of the EPA's rule is to reduce VOCs, the standards will also cut methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Scientists have recently started to raise questions about the amount of so-called methane leaks from natural gas wells, saying the emissions might make natural gas less friendly to the environment than has been assumed.
In the weeks leading up to Wednesday's announcement, oil and natural gas companies urged EPA and White House officials to delay the green-completion requirements because they said there wasn't enough equipment to go around. Companies would have to line up to use the equipment and stall their production projects until it became available, they said.
Environmental groups said the industry had exaggerated the scarcity of the equipment.
Left to police itself for too long, the oil and gas industry has failed even to adopt pollution controls that pay for themselves.
For more national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
Government Tightens Rules on Gas Drilling
Story first appeared on CNN.
The Presidential administration tightened regulations on the oil and gas industry Wednesday, requiring drillers to capture emissions of certain air pollutants from new wells.
But in a nod to industry concerns that the rules were being enacted too quickly, the Environmental Protection Agency said companies can burn the pollutants at the well head until the start of 2015, when enough equipment is expected to be available to capture the pollution.
The administration said the regulations are part of the President's promise to develop the nation's oil and gas resources in a manner that protects the environment and the public health. The standards are practice, flexible, affordable and achievable.
Exxon's big bet on shale gas
The rule will require all oil and gas companies to capture the volatile organic compounds that are emitted during the final stages of well construction, including during the process of hydraulic fracturing.
That process, known as fracking for short, eases the flow of oil or gas from dense shale rock by injecting water, sand and some chemicals deep into the earth.
Fracking has unlocked an energy boom in the United States, but has also led to concerns about groundwater contamination and earthquakes.
Once the realm of smaller companies, big oil firms such as BP, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell are all in on the shale boom.
The equipment used to capture the pollution largely consists of truck-mounted tanks and hoses that separate the gas from the liquids. Currently, that gas is often just released into the atmosphere. Volatile organic compounds are responsible for smog formation. Some are known to cause cancer in humans and other animals.
The equipment will also capture methane released during the well construction process. Methane, the prime ingredient in natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas itself -- 20 times stronger than carbon dioxide.
Some states, notably Colorado and Wyoming, already require the capture of these gases. EPA's ruling makes it a federal standard. The industry had lobbied to prevent the rule from applying to the hydraulic fracturing process, saying that shale wells generally emit far fewer volatile organic compounds than conventional wells.
America's oil boom - at a cost
Instead, the industry proposed burning the toxic gases and methane from shale wells -- a process known as flaring that is relatively effective in eliminating the pollutants but is not as clean as capturing them.
The industry also wanted an extended timetable to implement the new rules.
EPA's ruling is something of a compromise -- subjecting fracking to the new regulations but giving the industry three years to obtain the equipment and requiring flaring during the interim. Both industry and environmentalists seemed pleased with the ruling.
EPA has made some improvements in the rules that allow our companies to continue reducing emissions while producing the oil and natural gas our country needs. EPA's action today is a breath of fresh air for every man, woman, and child living in the shadow of the gas drilling boom.
For more national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
The Presidential administration tightened regulations on the oil and gas industry Wednesday, requiring drillers to capture emissions of certain air pollutants from new wells.
But in a nod to industry concerns that the rules were being enacted too quickly, the Environmental Protection Agency said companies can burn the pollutants at the well head until the start of 2015, when enough equipment is expected to be available to capture the pollution.
The administration said the regulations are part of the President's promise to develop the nation's oil and gas resources in a manner that protects the environment and the public health. The standards are practice, flexible, affordable and achievable.
Exxon's big bet on shale gas
The rule will require all oil and gas companies to capture the volatile organic compounds that are emitted during the final stages of well construction, including during the process of hydraulic fracturing.
That process, known as fracking for short, eases the flow of oil or gas from dense shale rock by injecting water, sand and some chemicals deep into the earth.
Fracking has unlocked an energy boom in the United States, but has also led to concerns about groundwater contamination and earthquakes.
Once the realm of smaller companies, big oil firms such as BP, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell are all in on the shale boom.
The equipment used to capture the pollution largely consists of truck-mounted tanks and hoses that separate the gas from the liquids. Currently, that gas is often just released into the atmosphere. Volatile organic compounds are responsible for smog formation. Some are known to cause cancer in humans and other animals.
The equipment will also capture methane released during the well construction process. Methane, the prime ingredient in natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas itself -- 20 times stronger than carbon dioxide.
Some states, notably Colorado and Wyoming, already require the capture of these gases. EPA's ruling makes it a federal standard. The industry had lobbied to prevent the rule from applying to the hydraulic fracturing process, saying that shale wells generally emit far fewer volatile organic compounds than conventional wells.
America's oil boom - at a cost
Instead, the industry proposed burning the toxic gases and methane from shale wells -- a process known as flaring that is relatively effective in eliminating the pollutants but is not as clean as capturing them.
The industry also wanted an extended timetable to implement the new rules.
EPA's ruling is something of a compromise -- subjecting fracking to the new regulations but giving the industry three years to obtain the equipment and requiring flaring during the interim. Both industry and environmentalists seemed pleased with the ruling.
EPA has made some improvements in the rules that allow our companies to continue reducing emissions while producing the oil and natural gas our country needs. EPA's action today is a breath of fresh air for every man, woman, and child living in the shadow of the gas drilling boom.
For more national and worldwide related business news, visit the Peak News Room blog.
For local and Michigan business related news, visit the Michigan Business News blog.
For healthcare and medical related news, visit the Healthcare and Medical blog.
For law related news, visit the Nation of Law blog.
For real estate and home related news, visit the Commercial and Residential Real Estate blog.
For technology and electronics related news, visit the Electronics America blog.
For organic SEO and web optimization related news, visit the SEO Done Right blog.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)