Drilling Down

The oil and gas industry enjoys numerous exemptions to environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act, our most fundamental safeguard from air pollution.

That's the finding of a new report just released by the Natural Resources Defense Council and co-authored by Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action. Exposing these exemptions, the report calls on Congress to close the oil and gas loopholes and fully safeguard public health.

Thankfully, Congress appears ready to act. U.S. Representative Henry Waxman, Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led the charge by holding a hearing on the issue last Wednesday. Five Coloradoans testified. They included Dr. Theo Colborn, a nationally recognized scientist and President of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, and Steve Mobaldi, who has experienced firsthand the harmful effects of oil and gas air pollution exempt from regulation under the Clean Air Act.

The issue has led to a flurry of news coverage and calls for action from Representative Waxman.

Industry, of course, claims that there is no conclusive link between pollution from oil and gas drilling and harms to human health. It's a shameful argument to make.

We know poisons are being released into the air, into the water, and onto the land. Why should we not take steps to limit their release? Why should we wait until people get sick, or worse yet die, before taking action?

The oil and gas industry is on thinning ice; one would think they would be the first to step up in support of closing environmental loopholes.