The EPA held a hearing in Dallas on Thursday, October 17 to gain input on their proposed elimination of regulations on methane emissions. The faith community was well represented as were the scientific and environmental communities. Testifying on behalf of Texas Impact and Texas Interfaith Power and Light were Board members Rev. Mel Caraway, Rev. Paul Klitzke, and Cynthia Rives (also representing United Methodist Women). Representing Texas Interfaith Power & Light (TXIPL) was Rev. Melissa Ashmore of Fort Worth. Representing New Mexico IPL was Penny Aucoin of Carlsbad, New Mexico. Other faith community speakers included Rev. Gene Collins of Odessa as well as members of several Native American tribal groups.
Mel Caraway at the Public Citizen Press Conference
Speakers presented testimony throughout the day, and having heard most of the testimony presented, I heard no one speak in favor of the proposed regulations. These new regulations, proposed by the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, would remove restrictions on harmful and deadly methane emissions. The proposed savings to the oil and gas industry would amount to 17 to 19 million dollars annually for the next six years while increasing methane emissions by over 30 %. Nowhere in the proposed regulations was an estimate of the healthcare costs associated with these increased emissions. Most of the testimony from faith based speakers focused on the immorality of the continued destruction of God’s creation as well as the deviation from the EPA’s mission statement which is “to protect human health and the environment.” In addition to Texas, speakers came from North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arizona, Montana, and Ohio, all areas where fracking has resulted in significant volumes of methane emissions.
Watch Public Citizen’s press conference on this hearing below.