Report: Oil and Gas Air Pollution Effects Health of Pennsylvanians - Public News Service

Report Oil and Gas Air Pollution Effects Health of Pennsylvanians / Public News Service

New train safety laws are being considered after dangerous derailments in multiple states, Texas is seeking prison guard recruits from high schools to fill staffing shortages and LGBTQ+ bicyclists find community in the great outdoors.

Report: Oil and Gas Air Pollution Effects Health of Pennsylvanians
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Pennsylvania's marketed natural-gas production, primarily from the Marcellus Shale, reached a record 7.6 trillion cubic feet in 2021, and the state is the nation's second-largest natural-gas producer after Texas. (Toppybaker/AdobeStock)

Photographic evidence from the 1930s suggests that seagrass may have covered between 200,000 and 600,000 acres along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline. (Adobe Stock)

Studies show people experiencing outdoor activities reported higher well-being scores and improved mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

The Duckabush River is cut off from nearby floodplains and wetlands by roads on the Olympic peninsula. (Washington Department of Ecology)

A new study sheds light on the urgent need for policies to reduce emissions from U.S. oil and gas production, showing the public health effects are costing billions of dollars.

The research estimated in 2016, in the U.S. alone, oil and gas-related pollution caused $77 billion in health damages, contributing to 7,500 early deaths and more than 400,000 asthma exacerbations.

Dr. Barbara W. Brandom, a retired professor of pediatric anesthesiology at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the Concerned Health Professionals of Pennsylvania, said she saw firsthand the impact of poor air quality on children's health because asthmatic kids had complications with anesthesia.

She argued the study amplifies the growing calls for robust policies and regulations to reduce emissions from the oil and gas industry.

"Any reduction in methane that's released will be accompanied by less hazardous air pollutants, and hopefully less PM 2.5 and less things that will produce the ozone," Brandom explained. "But basically, we need to stop burning fossil fuels."

The Keystone State ranks in the top five among states for pollution-related health concerns. Brandom added states with fewer gas-burning cars and are switching to electric vehicles and sources of renewable energy are healthier than Pennsylvania. In the meantime, the Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing tougher regulations on methane emissions from oil and gas production.

Dr. Edward Ketyer, a pediatrician and president of Physicians for Social Responsibility-Pennsylvania, said the study looked at three important air contaminants from oil and gas activities: nitrogen oxides, ground level ozone, and fine particulate matter. He pointed out the three constituents of oil and gas pollution cause a lot of harm. He explained gas production is one of the largest emitters of methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

"The study also shows that aggressive action to lower greenhouse-gas emissions, especially methane emissions, with new legislation that's now being proposed can help solve climate change and also reduce illnesses and deaths from air pollution," Ketyer reported. "So it's a win-win."

Ketyer noted the study did not investigate the potential harmful health consequences of other prominent and hazardous air pollutants present in the Keystone State's oil and gas operations also shown to cause great harm from cradle to grave, including volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, radioactive elements and toxic fracking chemicals that become airborne during drilling and fracking.

A report from last fall indicates flaring -- the process of burning off methane at well sites instead of capturing it -- is not as efficient as it needs to be to reduce methane pollution.

A new report found some vital improvements in the Chesapeake Bay over the last few years.

The Chesapeake Bay Program reported 76,000 acres of underwater grasses were mapped in the bay in 2022, representing a 12% increase over 2021, and 9% higher than the average since 1984.

Seagrasses were observed to be in decline prior to Hurricane Agnes in 1972, which nearly wiped them out. Restoration efforts have been ongoing since the 1980s.

Doug Myers, Maryland senior scientist for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said seagrasses are a vital part of the ecosystem.

"They cement the sediments together with their roots, they produce oxygen to dissolve into the water. They provide all kinds of cover for things like crabs as they're molting. And as they're dying back in the fall, they become food for migrating waterfowl," Myers outlined. "They're one of those keystone type species in the bay, that without them, the bay was considered sick and dying."

The underwater grasses in the bay are measured annually by an aerial survey carried out by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.

The long-term goal set out in The Chesapeake Watershed Agreement is to restore 185,000 acres of seagrass. Seagrass in the bay is harmed by pollution, changes in salinity, or when the water becomes clouded with algal blooms or suspended sediment and sunlight is prevented from reaching the seafloor.

Progress in the restoration of bay seagrass was set back substantially by record rainfall in 2018 which led to an excess of sediments and pollution in the bay, in addition to changes in salinity. Given the long-term nature of the decline and restoration, Myers acknowledged people may be unfamiliar with seagrass.

"In the last 10 years, we're seeing seagrasses coming back to places that it hasn't been for 20 or 30 years," Myers pointed out. "It's a new phenomenon, and with people they might think it's something invasive that we have to get rid of. And so, we've been out there trying to tell the story that no, this is a really good thing, it's a sign that the cleanup is working."

Researchers with the University of New Hampshire say the dramatic increase in visitors to New England's national forests during the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-lasting effects.

An additional 2 million people visited the White Mountain National Forest and Green Mountain National Forest during the summer of 2020 bringing traffic, trail congestion and litter.

Michael Ferguson, associate professor of recreation management and policy at the University of New Hampshire, said this often led to conflicts, mainly between in-state and out-of-state visitors.

"Millions and millions of additional visitors -- a lot of times first time visitors -- who may not know the etiquette or social norms and you have these people flooding relatively small areas," Ferguson explained.

Ferguson noted visitation rates have since plateaued and continue to strain natural areas. Visitor surveys reveal roughly 10% of visitors said they would likely never return based on their experience while women and lower-income visitors were disproportionately affected by conflict.

Many parks nationwide experienced similar issues and began requiring reservations in order to access natural areas, including New Hampshire's state park system.

Ferguson pointed out the move has been met with positive feedback from both the public and park resource managers.

"They're able to hire," Ferguson observed. "They're able to get workforce needs filled when we know consistently how many visitors we'll have and when and where."

Ferguson said managing the increase in park visitors also helps surrounding communities better manage crowds. He added the pandemic's "outdoor Renaissance" is here to stay and more studies are needed to determine how to best protect natural areas for everyone to enjoy.

Staci McMahon, ocean policy associate with the Seattle Aquarium, said Southern Resident Orcas off the Washington coast need more salmon.

"Because salmon populations in our region have also declined significantly," said McMahon, "salmon habitat restoration projects are one of the most important things we can do for orca recovery in the long term."

The project is a partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group.

State lawmakers approved $14 million for the project in the budget this year - but to complete the restoration, it needs more federal funding.

Theresa Mitchell, environmental planner with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the project will restore a more natural system.

"That benefits not only fish," said Mitchell, "but wildlife, people, anything that is dependent on, as we like to say, the ecosystem goods and services that are provided by a habitat."

Mitchell said she hopes this will inspire other restoration efforts in the region.

"As we continue as a society, as a state, as people that care about the fish and wildlife of the state to restore habitat," said Mitchell, "I think that incentivizes or gets people interested in what they can do on their private land as well. So I think that's another important aspect of this project, is to show that we're leading by example."

Disclosure: Seattle Aquarium contributes to our fund for reporting on Animal Welfare, Education, Endangered Species & Wildlife, Oceans. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.
A 2019 report found that automatically expunging an old conviction after a person has completed a sentence is key to promoting family stability, economic security and public safety. (Iushakovsky/Adobestock)