PITTSBURGH – Pennsylvania parents presented testimony at a public hearing in Washington D.C. on Monday on the EPA's proposal to suspend a rule regulating methane leaks.

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and leaks also include carcinogenic chemicals such as benzene and asthma-inducing volatile organic compounds.

In June EPA administrator Scott Pruitt suspended the rules to stop leaks from new oil and gas facilities for 90 days, then proposed staying them for two years.

Patrice Tomcik, a mother from Butler County and field organizer for Moms Clean Air Force, was among those who testified.

"We have lots of fracking and all the supporting infrastructure happening all around our community, and so what we're looking for are protections for our children from the harmful air pollution that this industry creates," she explains.

While acknowledging that the pollution is harmful to children, Pruitt says a two-year delay to study the impact of the rule on the oil and gas industry would not cause significant harm.

Tomcik disagrees.

"Whether it's two years, 90 days, one day or one minute, you can't ever take back the harm that air pollution does to children's growing, developing lungs," she says.

Last week, a federal court reinstated the rule, calling its suspension "arbitrary and capricious." The rule applies to more than 800 wells in Pennsylvania, wells that contribute to more than 30,000 asthma attacks each year.

Tomcik notes that, at Monday's hearing, few people testified in favor of suspending the rule.

"There's a lot of people who live right next to oil and gas operations that are being impacted, so overwhelmingly people are not in support of putting a stay on this," she adds.

The public comment period on the proposed rule suspension ends on August 9.


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Clean-energy companies and supporters are calling on federal officials to prioritize the development of charging infrastructure for EV powered medium and heavy duty trucks in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

Trucks transported more than 11 billion tons of freight last year, spewing air pollutants and greenhouse gases along the way.

John Boesel, CEO of CALSTART, a clean-transportation nonprofit group, said the EPA's "Phase 3" program would greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all commercial vehicles, improving the health and safety of communities.

"Going forward in the future, we can see a society where we have trucks rolling around with zero-emission and zero-noise and really benefiting communities over the decades that have been hard hit by diesel pollution and emission," Boesel explained.

Pennsylvania has taken a significant step toward electrifying its transportation system with the installation of its first federally funded electric-vehicle charging station in Pittston. Some in the trucking industry have concerns about EV costs, mileage, range, battery safety, charging time and availability.

Boesel emphasized the importance of the Biden administration implementing robust regulations to strengthen the United States' position as a global leader and drive meaningful progress toward the Paris Agreement's objectives. He contends the Inflation Reduction Act provides a lot of incentives for investment in U.S. electric battery technology and production.

"The Inflation Reduction Act will really help spur the growth of the zero-emission commercial vehicle industry. And I think this will end up being a real benefit for the United States from an economic perspective, and from an environmental perspective," Boesel added.

Boesel pointed out the United States is one of 27 nations that have agreed to non-binding targets, which suggests that 30% of all new commercial vehicles sold could be zero emission by 2030.

A new plan takes an interconnected approach to saving Virginia's coastal wetlands.

The aim of Virginia's York River and Small Coastal Basin Roundtable is to conserve tidal wetlands and increase coordination among regional stakeholders. Virginia's wetlands face multiple threats, from rising sea levels due to climate change to invasive species and commercial development. But 99% of the state's coastal land is privately owned.

Andrew Larkin, senior program analyst at the Chesapeake Bay Office for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said public-private partnerships are a key component to making the plan work.

"There are funding opportunities, both at the state and federal level, where property owners can seek funds to help construct or maintain living shorelines on their property," Larkin explained. "A living shoreline would be a desire to incorporate natural elements into a shoreline, rather than a traditional sea wall or something along those lines that doesn't provide as many benefits."

As beneficial as partnerships can be, having most coastal wetlands on private land still poses a challenge. He advised people to consider the benefits wetlands provide against climate change. The U.S. Geological Survey said wetlands can capture greenhouse gases and store them for hundreds of thousands of years.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said wetlands cover 5.5% of the 48 contiguous states, with one million wetland acres in Virginia alone.

Pamela Mason, senior research scientist for the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at the College of William and Mary, said the plan will affect stewardship of those wetlands in numerous ways.

"The plan helps frame specific places, like wetlands complexes that exist in the Middle Peninsula, as places to focus some of the research," Mason pointed out. "To build on the wetlands that are already there; maybe do something that some people call pre-restoration; so, planning for wetlands migration."

She stressed if implemented, the plan can create wetland growth. The plan was being developed before the U.S. Supreme Court ruling this spring in Sackett v. EPA, which ended federal protections for most wetlands. But Mason noted some state laws are still in place to protect them.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Pew Charitable Trusts.


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Wildlife corridor conservation is in the spotlight in Congress.

Last week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water and Wildlife held a hearing on wildlife corridors, which are important for animal migration in the winter and summer months and can be impeded by fractured landscapes. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is a member of the subcommittee.

Madeleine West, director of the Center for Public Lands at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said protecting wildlife corridors is the top issue for hunting and fishing organizations.

"Abundant wildlife populations of big game species and small game species even, like waterfowl, are important to the TRCP and our partners and the 14 million hunters in this country," West explained.

Corridor conservation has been a bipartisan issue. It was a priority at a recent meeting in Wyoming of the Western Governors' Association. A Department of the Interior Secretarial Order from 2018 under the Trump administration provided financial support for research and on-the-ground work to conserve corridors. The order was expanded under the Biden administration.

West acknowledged the support has been helpful but argued the federal government could make more strategic investments.

"Dedicated and consistent federal funding would be very valuable," West pointed out. "Importantly, it's critical that coordination between federal, state and tribal agencies, as well as private landowners and hunting, fishing and conservation organizations continue and be fostered."

West noted conservation work has not just happened on the federal level. She added there are lots of opportunities to work with private landowners on voluntary conservation projects.

"Some of the best wildlife habitat and corridor habitat is on private land in this country," West stressed. "Because private landowners have done so much proactive, voluntary conservation work on their own to have outstanding habitat quality."