Contact: Mollie Michel, mmichel@momscleanairforce.org, 267-981-1648
Denver, CO – Today, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) unanimously voted to adopt nation-leading rules to install zero-emitting pneumatic controllers for new oil and gas operations and a plan for retrofitting existing pneumatic controllers with zero-emitting devices.
Pneumatic controllers are devices commonly used during oil and gas operations that use the pressure of produced natural gas to open and close valves. They are designed to leak or bleed harmful methane into the air and often malfunction, leading to even more climate-warming pollution that contributes to extreme drought and fueling wildfires.
This rule will eliminate a significant amount of methane emissions from Colorado’s oil and gas sector. It is good for public health and the climate. Methane is a short-lived but powerful greenhouse gas. The rule will also eliminate a significant amount of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, which will help improve health-harming ozone pollution on the Front Range.
Moms Clean Air Force’s Colorado Chapter has been active throughout the rulemaking process and gave comments at the recent public hearing on February 18 on the rule.
Here is what Moms Clean Air Force’s Colorado field organizers had to say:
“Because pneumatic devices are the second largest source of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector in Colorado, families, like my own, living near oil and gas operations greatly appreciate the work being done by the AQCC to safeguard them from harmful methane and VOC pollution. This rulemaking is a step in the right direction, but there is more work to be done to ensure all oil and gas wells are ultimately addressed in order to clean up the air our children breathe and protect the climate they will inherit,” said Laurie Anderson, a mother of five children and Colorado field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force living in Broomfield County.
“Moms appreciate the work of the AQCC to reduce methane emissions from pneumatic controllers, and we recognize the need to urgently adopt regulations to cut pollution at the levels required by state law, while driving equitable outcomes for impacted communities. For far too long, Black, Indigenous, and people of color have been disproportionately exposed to harmful air pollution and climate change impacts because of where we live, learn, work, and play. Our communities urgently need protections,” said Shaina Oliver, Indigenous mother of four children and Colorado field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force living in northeast Denver.
Additional Background:
Colorado has a duty to reduce greenhouse gas pollution statewide and to have concrete policies that will protect communities of color and low-income people from the disproportionate impacts of climate change to ensure a just, equitable transition to a clean Colorado.
The pneumatic rule is an important step in cutting climate pollution, but more work is needed to get Colorado to the GHG emission targets outlined in HB19-1261 and the Greenhouse Gas Roadmap. It is beyond time for the state to start showing bold leadership to achieve the statutory mandates.