Air Quality Studies in the West(From the University of Colorado Law School, Natural
Resources Law Center)
Technological advances (e.g. directional drilling, hydraulic fracturing),
have led to increases in unconventional natural gas development (NGD), raising questions about health impacts. This study found that residents living within a 0.5 mile
from wells are at greater risk for health effects from NGD than are residents living more than
a 0.5 mile from wells.
In a five year study, NOAA scientists monitoring the atmosphere’s
composition at a tower north of Denver found gas operations in the region leaked about twice
as much methane into the atmosphere as previously estimated.
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Emissions from the Oil & Natural Gas Industry
(From the EPA website)
“The oil and natural gas industry includes a wide range of operations and equipment, from wells to natural gas gathering lines and processing facilities, to storage tanks, and transmission and distribution pipelines.
The industry is the largest industrial source of emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), a group of chemicals that contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone (smog). Exposure to ozone is linked to a wide range of health effects, including aggravated asthma, increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions, and premature death. EPA estimates VOC emission from the oil & natural gas industry at 2.2 million tons a year in 2008.
The oil and natural gas industry also is a significant source of emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that is more than 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide. Emissions of air toxics such as benzene, ethylbenzene, and n-hexane, also come from this industry. Air toxics are pollutants known, or suspected of causing cancer and other serious health effects.”
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Did you know that...
Colorado has become one of
the top five states in the nation for natural gas production and top 10 for oil.
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"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot-nothing is going to get better, it's not." - Dr. Seuss.
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