Clean Air Council

⚠️ Congress just introduced legislation that would weaken Clean Air Act protections for some of the country’s leakiest oil and gas wells.

In Pennsylvania, thousands of these wells — referred to as “marginal wells” because they are only marginally economic — are known to leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas that fuels climate change and harms public health.

Nationally, these low-producing wells are estimated to account for more than half of methane emissions from oil and gas operations.

Now, through the “Protect Domestic Oil and Gas Small Business Act,” lawmakers want to exempt many of these wells from commonsense methane monitoring, reporting, and leak detection standards under the Clean Air Act.

Despite the bill’s name, the overwhelming majority of these wells are not owned by “mom and pop” operators, but by large oil and gas companies with the resources to comply with methane safeguards.

It’s commonsense policy to prevent methane waste by keeping gas in pipelines instead of leaking into the atmosphere.

“Gas that is wasted drives up costs for consumers and harms public health,” said Clean Air Council Executive Director Alex Bomstein. “Any effort to revoke methane standards is simply a poorly disguised way of allowing oil and gas companies to waste and pollute while forcing American households and businesses to pay the price.”

Tell Congress to oppose this bill and support a clean environment. Contact your reps: https://buff.ly/8CMMqaq