The Honorable Michael S. Regan

Administrator

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20460

Dear Administrator Regan:

We write to you as members and leaders of faith communities throughout the State of Texas. As people of faith we feel a strong obligation to care for other people, especially those who are vulnerable or marginalized. These convictions guide our priorities in the public sphere. We are writing to ask that the Environmental Protection Agency adopt the strongest possible regulatory approach to the problem of routine flaring by oil producers.

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change and is released by the oil and gas industry at high rates. In particular, the practice of routine flaring, where excess methane recovered during oil  production is burned, causes releases of climate and health-harming pollutants. Even when operating properly, flares release pollutants such as carbon dioxide and uncombusted constituents of natural gas, such as methane and other volatile organic compounds.  Many flares malfunction or operate unlit, releasing significant amounts of methane directly to the atmosphere.  

We believe that the best way to address the problem of pollution from flares is to simply stop the oil and gas industry from sending so much gas to them in the first place. Leading states including New Mexico and Colorado have adopted regulations to end pollution and waste from routine flaring. We would like to see EPA build from these leading state approaches in your soon to be final rules.

Climate change poses serious risks to the people of Texas. We have already seen increases in drought and extreme precipitation and temperatures which can be attributed to climate change; changes like these are expected to continue and worsen in a warming world. Weather extremes like these cause suffering, hardship, and even death. Globally, climate change threatens food security, drives political instability, and causes suffering in a range of ways from disease to loss of ancestral homelands to sea level rise. 

In addition to the climate impacts, flaring contributes to poor air quality. Pollutants emitted from oil and gas production cause health impacts from worsening asthma symptoms to cancer. 

As people of faith in Texas, we believe that each person is of intrinsic worth and has the right to a healthy environment. We feel an especially strong sense of care for vulnerable people like the elderly, children, those with chronic lung conditions, and the economically disadvantaged, all of whom are at risk of serious health impacts from air pollution. It is all of our responsibility to do what we can to ensure a safe world for our neighbors and the generations which come after us.

Requiring oil and gas producers to capture methane instead of releasing it to the atmosphere can benefit them as much as it will benefit ordinary Texans. The technology and equipment required to prevent methane releases are readily available, and in some cases allow captured methane to be sold for a profit to the producer.

Because a safe environment is essential to the thriving of all people, we encourage the EPA to adopt strong rules to cut methane and other harmful pollutants released from the oil and gas sector, including from the wasteful, polluting practice of routine flaring.

With gratitude,

Texans of Faith

CC: Mr. Ali Zaidi, Assistant to the President & National Climate Advisor, White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy