Urge Secretary Buttigieg to Protect Communities From Gas Pipeline Leaks!
By: Thomas Hynes
Nearly three million miles of gas pipelines crisscross communities throughout the United States. Unfortunately, many of these pipelines are allowing leaks to linger for years without being fixed, wasting resources and causing unnecessary damage to our communities — from harmful health side effects to detrimental climate pollution.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has proposed new standards that will improve pipeline operations and leak management practices. The Advanced Leak Detection and Repair Rule is urgently needed to address the many ongoing, unintended leaks and intentional releases.
However, this rule, which was first proposed in May of 2023, is far behind schedule. That is why we are urging U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to act immediately and finalize this critical rule. There is no time for further delay!
Peer-reviewed research estimates that potent greenhouse gas methane emissions from leaks on gas distribution systems are five times greater than currently estimated. Recent analysis finds that natural gas pipelines nationwide are leaking as much as 2.7 million tons of methane each year, which has about the same climate impact as nearly 50 million passenger cars driven for a year. Currently, only 20,000 miles of the 435,000 miles of U.S. gathering lines are required to conduct regular leak surveys at all.
Pipeline leaks not only cause great harm to public health and the environment, but also have disproportionate impacts on frontline communities, as distribution pipelines tend to be located at higher densities in their neighborhoods.
The goal of the proposed rule is to dramatically reduce emissions of methane, which is the most climate destructive greenhouse gas, and a significant source of air pollutants disproportionately impacting the health and safety of low-income and communities of color. Existing federal standards for pipeline leak detection and repair have not been updated in decades, and current rules do not address the harm to communities and the environment caused by methane leaks. This rule would help to protect our climate and waterways, while greatly improving the health and safety of our communities.
PHMSA’s proposal would increase the frequency of leak surveys, establish concrete standards and timelines for repair, deploy more effective solutions, and ensure transparency and accountability throughout the process. The proposed rule will ensure that operators are required to find and fix more leaks, more quickly. It will also improve leak reporting data so communities can better understand the risks and impacts posed by these pipelines and other gas infrastructure that are located in and run through their neighborhoods. Furthermore, the technology to better detect leaks already exists, and implementing these standards could create a bevy of well-paying jobs.
We will never meet our climate goals while undetected and unaddressed pipeline leaks – which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates comprise a third of the U.S. fossil fuel industry’s methane emissions – continue to poison our ecosystems.
Secretary Buttigieg has the opportunity to lead and deliver on this win for climate and public safety by directing his agency to finalize this much-needed rule without further delay. We must protect our communities and waterways from the health and climate impacts caused by pipeline methane leaks. That is why we are urging Secretary Buttigieg to finalize this rule NOW.