The pollution was visualized using an optical gas imaging (OGI) camera during a walking tour hosted by Moms Clean Air Force.
Tour participants included Mayor Christopher Girard, State Senator Chedrick Greene, and representatives from local environmental groups.
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Bay County, Michigan — Moms Clean Air Force hosted a walking tour today of oil and gas well sites in Bay County, Michigan. The tour included representatives from Earthworks and Michigan Environmental Council, along with Mayor Girard, State Senator Greene, and a local resident who lives near the well.
During the tour, Earthworks used its optical gas imaging (OGI) camera to visualize otherwise invisible methane emissions. See examples of emissions visualizations here, courtesy of Earthworks. Media are invited to publish these videos in coverage. These visualizations were not captured during today’s tour, but the tour did visit the well pictured in this video.
Experts, leaders, and advocates spoke about the environmental and public health threats of methane pollution during the tour.
“When I think about decisions involving public health, I don’t think about statistics first,” says Christopher Girard, Mayor of Bay City. “I think about my family, and every family in Bay County. Every parent and grandparent wants the same thing: for their children to grow up healthy, play outside, and breathe clean air.
“I uncovered harmful pollution at over a third of the oil and gas facilities near Bay City and in Northern Michigan that I surveyed using specialized camera technology designed to detect invisible methane and other dangerous pollutants,” said Andrew Klooster, Senior Thermographer and Colorado Field Advocate, Earthworks. “While this is concerning, it is also a call to action for the state of Michigan: most of the pollution I observed could be prevented by better maintenance and tighter regulations.”
“My house is located just 13 minutes from this leaking well site, and I’ve spent time fishing in Cassville with my family for years,” said Amie Newman, Bay City resident and Moms Clean Air Force volunteer. “I never realized how close these oil and gas wells were to the places where we made so many happy memories. As a mom of a son with intrinsic asthma, that’s incredibly unsettling. Parents should be able to take their children outdoors without worrying about what they’re breathing or whether pollution could make it harder for them to breathe. Seeing these leaking wells with my own eyes has changed the way I think about the places we love. Every family deserves clean air, honest information about pollution in their community, and strong safeguards that protect our children’s health.”
“Here in Bay County, approximately 9,200 people live within half a mile of an active oil well. Those aren’t just statistics,” said Elizabeth Hauptman, Moms Clean Air Force Michigan Field Organizer. “They’re families eating dinner around the kitchen table, children playing in their backyards, grandparents taking evening walks, and neighbors who deserve to know that the air they’re breathing is safe. Today is about making the invisible visible.”
WHY THIS MATTERS NOW
The tour comes as the Trump administration prepares to roll back federal methane protections later this summer, making it a timely opportunity to demonstrate what’s at stake for both our climate and public health. Michigan is home to over 13,000 well sites. In Bay County alone there are:
- 329 oil and gas producing well sites
- 11,000 people who live within ½ mile of an active well
- 11% of the people in Bay County have asthma, which is 2-3 percent higher than that of the US
Learn more about why methane pollution is dangerous to human health.