An estimated 3 million miles of gas pipelines crisscross the U.S. When these pipelines leak, harmful pollutants are released that threaten our communities’ safety, exacerbate the climate crisis, and result in the loss and waste of a taxable public resource. And, as is often the case when it comes to pollution, emissions from these pipelines disproportionately impact lower-income households and Black, Indigenous and people of color communities.
We can address this climate and environmental justice issue through better oversight of our gas pipelines, which the U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is working to accomplish by updating federal standards. This spring, PHMSA released a draft rule to reduce methane emissions and improve public safety by enhancing gas pipeline leak detection and repair requirements.
PHMSA’s federal proposal complements Colorado’s rules to reduce methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from oil and gas operations. The oil and gas sector is responsible for one-third of global warming, and we need a sweeping, whole-of-government approach to cut emissions by enacting – and enforcing – strong state and federal rules.
The proposal requires frequent surveys to identify methane leaks, faster repair requirements with priority given to leaks that pose public safety and environmental risks, and increased public transparency regarding leaks and their safety impacts. The rule also requires operators to minimize pipeline operational releases – which is good for government coffers and our climate.
The proposed rule should go further to include rigorous requirements for using advanced LDAR technology to capture emissions from intentional releases rather than leaving it up to operators to decide how they’ll minimize waste. These standards will ensure operators use the best and most efficient technology available to reduce methane pollution.
PHMSA’s leak detection and repair standards should also apply to all gas-gathering pipelines – more than 430,000 miles across the country – rather than just the 100,000 miles of pipeline covered within the current proposal. Moreover, all leaks should be considered hazardous to capture as much methane as possible.
Additionally, these standards should apply to natural gas pipelines and other pipeline systems, including hydrogen pipelines. This disclosure is essential as the demand for hydrogen is rising. To increase transparency and public safety, PHMSA’s rule, like the EPA’s proposed methane rule, must require operators to disclose to regulators when they mix hydrogen into natural gas pipeline systems.
Finally, PHMSA should remove a provision in the current proposal that exempts operators from repairing leaks on pipes scheduled for replacement within five years. Five years is a long time to allow methane to go to waste and pollute the atmosphere unchecked; therefore, the exemption is not acceptable under a rule that promises to protect public health and safety.
Though our communities are on opposite sides of the country, climate change – and the man-made pollution that causes it – is an issue that affects us all. From Pittsburgh, where nearly half of the state’s top 12 polluters are based, to Southwest Colorado, home to one of the largest concentrations of methane pollution, we are reminded that when it comes to climate change, we can’t afford to leave a single stone unturned.
PHMSA’s proposed standards have been identified as a key policy in reducing methane emissions. We call on PHMSA and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to make these critical improvements to the proposal – and swiftly enact it – to ensure the most vigorous possible standards govern our natural gas pipelines to address the climate emergency and protect the most vulnerable.
Erika Strassburger is a Pittsburgh City Councilor. Josh Joswick is a former La Plata County commissioner and mayor of Bayfield. Both are contributors to Western Leaders Voices, a program of Western Leaders Network that helps amplify the voices of tribal, local and state elected leaders on conservation issues in the West.
