Contact: Sasha Tenenbaum, stenenbaum@momscleanairforce.org, 917-887-0146
Washington DC—Today’s vote in the US Senate to rescind the reckless repeal of methane pollution protections is a positive step toward reversing the harm the previous administration has done. This will also help jump-start the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to strengthen a methane rule that protects families and communities from harmful air pollution.
In response to today’s Senate vote, Moms Clean Air Force issued the following quotes:
“Ohio is currently home to more than 103,000 oil and gas production facilities, including wells, compressors, and processing stations, earning us a first-place national ranking for total residents living within a half mile of these facilities,” said Tracy Sabetta, Ohio Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. “Parents raise their children in Ohio expecting to do so in a healthy and safe environment. I am grateful to the United States Senate for voting in favor of restoring EPA’s standards on methane emissions, to protect the health of our state’s families and children.”
“Climate change is here, and it’s having an impact on our families today. Tick populations, for example, have increased a great deal in West Virginia due to climate change, and this is a huge problem for my family,” said Leah Barbor, mother of two and West Virginia Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. “My young children enjoy learning outdoors and helping us raise food, but I have had to remove dozens of ticks from their bodies over the last year. We need our leaders to reduce methane emissions in order to help stabilize the climate for our families and future generations.”
“In Texas, communities of color are disproportionately impacted by harmful oil and gas pollution from facilities that have historically been built near where they live, learn, work, and pray,” said Erandi Trevino, Texas Field Organizer and Houston resident. “Latino communities like mine face an increased risk of environmental health issues compounded by other existing polluting sources and inadequate access to quality health care. The oil and gas industry must be held to strong standards that are protective of public health. Today’s vote by the United States Senate is one step forward in protecting environmental justice communities in Texas and around the country.”
“Each year the oil and gas industry releases millions of tons of methane—a potent greenhouse gas—and other harmful pollutants, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), into the air our families breathe, posing a serious threat to public health and worsening the climate crisis,” said Patrice Tomcik, Pennsylvania resident, National Field Manager and Oil and Gas Specialist for Moms Clean Air Force, whose children attend school near fracked gas wells. “Moms across the nation are thankful for the Senate’s positive vote toward restoring vital protections to cut climate-warming methane and help clean up the air for children like mine who are living, learning, or playing near oil and gas operations.”
RESOURCE:
Watch Molly Rauch, Public Health Policy Director for Moms Clean Air Force, at Majority Leader Schumer’s April 28 press conference on methane pollution here.