Air Pollution Forces Changes To Government And Industry
As part of the Obama administration’s environmental plan, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has updated air pollution standards for all offshore oil drilling rigs, according to the news release section of their site.
BOEM is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which regulates environmental safe guards for mineral management.
The air pollution standards have not been updated for 36 years.
Assistant Secretary Janice Schneider spoke on the details.
“This proposal takes a balanced approach to modernize BOEM’s regulations and ensure compliance with today’s air quality standards. These proposed improvements will minimize harm to human health and the environment from oil and gas activities.”
Spoke w/ Dept. of @Interior Asst Sec Janice Schneider today to reiterate my opposition to reckless Atlantic offshore drilling proposals
— Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) February 4, 2016
The air pollution standards update takes the agency’s jurisdiction of the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf and applies it to all offshore oil rigs.
But this news comes at the same time that, according to a report by the Associated Press via Syracuse.com, the Obama administration cancelled all planned oil rigs for the Atlantic.
A group of coastal residents referred to as Stop Offshore oil and gas Drilling in the Atlantic (SODA) celebrated the move, according to Sun Times.
The reason for the cancellation was credited to pressures from environmentalists and activism.
Of course, such enforcement of regulating emissions from gas and oil rigs for air pollution has its opposition, with the American Petroleum Institute (API) saying that BEOM is overreaching in their authority.
Group Director of Upstream and Industry Operations for API Erik Milito says that regulating for air pollution offshore has no impact onshore.
BEOM, however, does section out regulations according to state, and in their press release they refer to their jurisdiction.
“Another important improvement would better identify the state boundary for the purposes of determining potential air quality impacts. The air quality program would measure these impacts landward from the state-seaward boundary, usually three nautical miles offshore, as opposed to only at the coastline. This proposed change would more accurately reflect impacts to the states by including impacts to all lands, including submerged lands, under state jurisdiction.”
The report mentions that while many have made some effort to not drive their vehicles, they’re still unable to get citizens to fully cooperate and may begin to force industrial businesses to halt production in order to get rid of the smog.
Fairly recently, Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn attacked Prime Minister David Cameron for his poor record on lowering air pollution, according to The Guardian.
Over the last few days, the Inquisitr offered a report on London’s Pigeon Air Patrol, a project where pigeons wear small backpacks to measure air pollution, but more specifically, levels of nitrogen dioxide in the air.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8iKxeFQgos
Much of this news spotlights a report by the World Health Organization(WHO) which says that air pollution has already killed millions and will continue if measures aren’t taken to stop it.
Back in February the Inquisitr also published a report about a study presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2016 conference, which says that air pollution leads to 5.5 million deaths worldwide.
“Using data compiled over a 23 year period from 188 countries, the University of British Columbia and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington compared health risk factors to air pollution levels. The researchers found that air pollution levels actually decreased from 1990 to 2013, but due to population growth and urbanization, the risk of exposure to dangerous emissions has increased.”
Reuters has reported on the connection between air pollution and diabetes and high cholesterol.
Often the opposition points out that measures to reduce the production of fossil fuels or reduce the impact on carbon emissions will impact the job market.
Back in 2011 the Huffington Post published an article about a polarizing move by many of the Republicans who are usually involved in trying to fight the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation powers, before they were forced to reconsider when local industries threatened air pollution in their backyards.
