26 Health Organizations, Led by Physicians for Social Responsibility and American Lung Association, Submit Comment to EPA Opposing Rollback of New Source Performance Standards for Oil and Natural Gas Industry

On November 25, Physicians for Social Responsibility, American Lung Association and 24 other health organizations submitted an official joint comment in opposition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) proposed amendments to the 2012 and 2016 New Source Performance Standards for the oil and natural gas industry.

Other signatories include the American Public Health Association (APHA) and two of the largest health care systems in the United States, Common Spirit and Trinity Health.

Read the full official comment and see the full list of signatories here.

"This joint comment, signed by Physicians for Social Responsibility, American Lung Association, and 24 other leading organizations, demonstrates that medical organizations large and small think that this is a vitally important health and safety issue," said Barb Gottlieb, Environment and Health Program Director, Physicians for Social Responsibility. "On behalf of our tens of thousands of members and the millions of patients whose health we protect, we strongly oppose EPA's proposal to let methane and Volatile Organic Compounds leak without limits from oil and gas wells.

"Methane, an especially potent greenhouse gas, is helping drive the climate change that is costing lives as well as dollars. The volatile organic compounds that escape into the atmosphere with the methane include carcinogens, neurotoxins and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs).

"They proposal to roll back limits on these dangerous substances is EPA's holiday gift to the oil and gas industry. As part of EPA's larger agenda to do away with environmental regulations, this effort at wholesale roll-backs increases risks to human health, well-being and life."