Methane emissions from natural gas development in Pennsylvania is a major problem. A greenhouse gas, methane is emitted from leakage through natural gas production.
Methane emissions are a considerable threat to climate change, posing over 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over a 20-year time frame.
So when you think “quick action” on climate change, reducing methane emissions needs to be an important step in the process.
Pennsylvania has taken an important and long-awaited step toward substantially reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations. With new monitoring and emissions requirements now in place for new and modified facilities and operations, we turn our full attention toward...
PEC and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have sent the following joint statement to House members in opposition to House Bill 2154, weakening environmental protections in relation to oil and gas production. April 30, 2018 To: Members of the...
PEC and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have sent the following joint statement to Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee members in opposition to Senate Bill 1088, concerning environmental protection and performance standards for the conventional oil and gas industry. ...
PEC has sent the following communication to the Governor and General Assembly in opposition to tax code legislation that was amended to include two provisions which fundamentally alter environmental permitting and protections. Click here to identify your legislator and let...
We at PEC recently had the honor of hosting a conference on Deep Decarbonization of the electricity grid in March of this year. Our main, selfish, goal was to learn more about the science, technology, and policy at play in...
PEC sent the following letter on Senate Bill 175 to members of the Pennsylvania Senate today: Dear Senators: On behalf of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), I am writing to convey our opposition to Senate Bill 175. This legislation prevents...
John Walliser, Senior Vice President for Legal and Government Affairs, outlines PEC’s recent initiatives in the policy sector, ranging from longwall mining and implementation of the Clean Power Plan to methane emissions. Walliser not only summarizes PEC’s work from the...
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) is pleased with today’s announcement from the White House concerning methane emissions from oil and gas operations. The announcement bridges several areas of concern we have regarding the growth of shale gas operations in Pennsylvania...
Pennsylvania will slash 80% of net greenhouse gas emissions statewide by 2050 under targets announced January 8 by Governor Tom Wolf. State agencies will lead the way, working strategically through the governor’s new GreenGov Council to improve energy efficiency across...
New leak detection technology will help natural gas utility Peoples Gas cut methane emissions from its Pittsburgh distribution system in half this year. The announcement marks a new phase in Peoples’ ongoing partnership with Environmental Defense Fund and Google Earth...
Pennsylvania has an opportunity to substantially lower emissions of methane from our natural gas industry, the nation’s second-largest, simply by requiring better monitoring and quicker response to leaks on well pads. Finding and fixing these leaks will mean significantly reducing...
Here’s what we already knew about methane: It’s the primary component of natural gas. It’s much more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And a non-zero amount of it is escaping into the atmosphere as a result of...
Pennsylvania looks for an on-ramp to the EV revolution, and Environmental Defense Fund launches a first-of-its kind initiative to track methane emissions from space. Links: PEC Letter on EV Infrastructure Legislation EDF Announces Satellite Mission to Locate and Measure Methane...