Oil and gas companies have until 2025 to reduce the emissions they release into the air through the practices known as venting and flaring.

You may have seen a large plume of fire coming from smokestacks at oil-producing sites but you may not have considered how it is affecting your life. Oil and gas producers use venting and flaring to burn off excess gas. The process releases methane into the air, and environmental groups pointed out it is not only wasteful, but dangerous.

Becca Edwards, climate action fellow for the advocacy group Texas Impact and the United Methodist General Board of Church and Society, said the practice has two major negative effects.

"Releasing methane creates air pollution that harms people who are vulnerable," Edwards noted. "The second impact that methane emissions has is climate change. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. It traps heat, contributing to climate change."

Texas is the largest producer of gas in the nation, and a new study showed the emissions are being underreported. Researchers used remote sensing for the study and estimated methane released into the atmosphere contributes to about $7.4 billion in health damages annually.

The Environmental Protection Agency issued a ruling last year aimed at sharply reducing emissions of methane and other air pollutants from oil and gas operations. For the first time, the regulations include existing well sites instead of only new ones. Edwards emphasized Texas Impact supports the new standards.

"We represent people of faith in Texas, and as people of faith, we feel that advocating for a healthy and safe environment is a moral obligation," Edwards stressed. "Those regulations are expected to reduce methane emissions significantly."

Oil and gas companies have two years to comply but it appears they are gearing up for a fight. The Railroad Commission of Texas, which regulates oil and gas production, opposes the restrictions and has petitioned the Attorney General to challenge the EPA's new rule in court.


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A coalition of climate groups seeking cleaner air at the rail yards and ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will hold a "die-in" rally tomorrow at Los Angeles City Hall.

Nine climate, environmental and community organizations are calling on Mayor Karen Bass to support new rules coming soon from the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Cristhian Tapia-Delgado, Southern California climate campaigner for the nonprofit Pacific Environment, explained the urgency behind the protest.

"These rules have been delayed for almost a decade now for the port," Tapia-Delgado pointed out. "Our communities can't keep waiting. People shouldn't be dying just because their homes are in vicinity to these polluting sources."

The City of Long Beach's 2019 Community Health Assessment found communities near the port suffered increased rates of respiratory diseases and up to 8 years shorter life expectancy.

The South Coast district board is set to consider indirect-source rules to set facility-wide emission reduction goals for rail yards in August and for the ports in December. Cargo shipping companies relying on diesel fuel have balked at the expense of converting to new engines or cleaner fuels. The California Chamber of Commerce said the rules would result in caps on cargo volumes and hurt jobs.

Tapia-Delgado hopes Bass will use her influence to produce real change.

"We're asking her to stick to her campaign promises of working with all levels of government on her 2030 zero-emission port goals to reduce the negative health impacts," Tapia-Delgado stressed.

Advocates are also expected to speak out tomorrow during the public comment period of the Los Angeles City Council meeting.

Recent data ranks Columbus as the most polluted major city in the U.S., highlighting concerns about common pollutants, like smog and vehicle emissions.

New research links these pollutants to the risks for dementia.

Dr. Alan Cronemberger Andrade, in the postgraduate program in neurology and neuroscience at the Federal University of São Paulo, said the study of more than 2,500 adults showed a need for more local research on air pollution's effect on cognitive health.

"We see that there is really evidence linking air pollution to cognitive decline and dementia risk," Cronemberger Andrade observed.

He pointed out stroke and cardiovascular diseases, such as ischemic heart disease and atrial fibrillation are other key links between air pollution and dementia, and vascular issues also contribute to the connection.

In Ohio, the most recent figures, from 2019, indicate about 591,000 people over age 45 have some form of dementia.

Dr. Fabricio Ferreira de Oliviera, executive medical director of Elysian Clinica Medica and Neurologia at the Federal University of São Paulo, said one component of the study looked at people's proximity to high-pollution sources.

"If they live near a highway or near a very polluted area, they can have more cognitive impairment than those who live farther from those regions," Ferreira emphasized.

He suggested conducting ongoing studies to determine if reducing air pollution could lower the risk of dementia and cognitive decline, and better overall health outcomes.

Data from new satellite-based technology show that the amount of methane pollution impacting communities living near oil and gas facilities is far greater than previously estimated.

As Laurie Anderson, Colorado field organizer with the group Moms Clean Air Force explained - when methane is released into the air through venting, flaring, or leaks - toxic co-pollutants that have been linked to serious respiratory and other health impacts are also released.

"And these co-pollutants include particulate matter, they can include Volatile Organic Compounds which are carcinogenic," said Anderson. "So, there are these health impacts that are absolutely impacting our children, our elderly and our most sensitive populations the most."

Levels of fine particulate matter were up to 15 times higher, sulfur dioxides were twice as high, and nitrogen oxides were 22% higher than previous estimates.

Oil and gas groups have argued that venting and flaring methane, the primary component of natural gas, is necessary because there aren't enough pipelines to divert that gas to market.

Health costs for people living downwind, including hospitalizations and premature death, are over $7 billion each year.

Low-income, Hispanic and Native American communities are disproportionately impacted.

Methane is over 80 times more potent than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere - and Anderson said limiting pollution can also help address more frequent and powerful wildfires, prolonged drought and other impacts of a changing climate.

"We're already experiencing the impacts of climate change," said Anderson. "And we really need to do something now to slow those impacts. And if we're going to meet our deadline, we absolutely have to start cutting back on the amount of methane that is being released into our atmosphere immediately. We can't wait any longer."

Colorado is the fourth largest oil producing state, and the eighth largest gas producer in the nation.

Nearly 290,000 Coloradans, including over 39,000 children, live within a half-mile threat radius of active oil and gas operations.

The Environmental Protection Agency's new methane rule aims to address pollution from routine venting and flaring, but Anderson said strong enforcement will be critical to protecting public health.




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