House Resolution 1, the “Lower Energy Costs Act,” intentionally deprives communities impacted by the gas industry of needed resources.
The bill will likely be up for a full vote in the House at the end of the month and claims to remove the “natural gas tax,” but that is not true. The bill proposes to eliminate the Methane Emissions Reduction Program (MERP), which is a new section of the Clean Air Act included in the Inflation Reduction Act, signed by the president in August.
The MERP allocates $1.55 billion to help lower pollution from the oil and gas industry, including technology upgrades and increased air monitoring. It could even be used to update ventilation and insulation systems at homes, businesses and community centers in regions impacted by the gas industry. Within the $1.55B there is $700 million specifically allocated for “marginal conventional wells,” which are older, smaller wells that produce large amounts of air pollution. Pennsylvania has an extremely high number of these wells, including abandoned wells that require government funding to plug. These wells and other gas infrastructure leak climate changing methane, smog-causing volatile organic compounds, and carcinogens like benzene.
MERP is not a tax. If oil and gas companies comply with the EPA’s upcoming methane pollution standard for new and existing oil and gas facilities, they won’t be charged a cent. The MERP would apply a charge on methane emissions for facilities that emit over 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year and exceed applicable waste emissions thresholds from the EPA. Again, if facilities comply with upcoming EPA standards, there is no charge.
The MERP is especially important because within the EPA’s new methane pollution standards, there is a local air monitoring program called the Super-Emitter Response Program. This program will allow communities on the front lines of the gas industry to participate in local air monitoring to quickly identify and remedy pollution events.
The Super-Emitter Response Program will require MERP funds to be successfully implemented. Once finalized, the EPA methane rule will likely include very specific requirements for third party air monitoring that will be difficult for local community organizations to meet. These requirements include being approved by EPA as having appropriate expertise and experience in using remote detection technology that EPA has approved. EPA needs MERP funding to provide a clear pathway and resources for impacted residents to connect with air monitoring professionals in order to meet the EPA’s stringent standards to participate in the Super-Emitter Response Program. EPA could use MERP funding to proactively recruit impacted residents in the most vulnerable communities of oil and gas regions to participate in community-focused air monitoring programs with professionals.
Pennsylvania needs the MERP to protect communities impacted by the gas industry and the House of Representatives should abandon its current efforts to repeal this vital public health program.
Philadelphia resident Russell Zerbo is the advocacy coordinator for the Clean Air Council.
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