Political Quotes

“The Holt-Peters-Polis amendment would allow the Secretary of Interior to minimize fugitive methane emissions on public lands. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that commonly leaks during the drilling and transportation of oil and gas. If you look at the entire production process, excess methane emissions can make natural gas energy just as dirty as coal energy. Moreover, methane and Volatile Organic Compounds emitted from oil and gas wells interact with sunlight to create ozone, another greenhouse gas. Although national methane emissions fell between 2011 to 2012, emissions in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and other energy producing states have risen due to oil and gas operations. Colorado has approximately 50,000 wells which contribute to the state's current non-attainment status for the EPA's 2008 national ambient air quality standard for ozone. In addition, rural areas in the Upper Green River Basin in Wyoming have recorded dangerously high levels of smog that rival the worst pollution days in Los Angeles due to drilling. This is concerning since ground level ozone or ``smog'' can trigger asthma attacks and aggravate conditions of people with bronchitis and emphysema. Earlier this year I introduced the BREATHE Act, H.R. 1154 because oil and gas wells and their associated infrastructure contribute to air pollution.…”