The following op-ed appeared in the Longmont Times Call on April 4, 2016:
As a faith leader, I am often called on to pray for and envision the world we want to pass on to future generations. We live in an age of important decisions about our economy and environment. We know our action or lack thereof today will directly and deeply shape the reality of future generations to come.
Right now, our nation has an opportunity to make decisions about the best possible stewardship of God’s gift of a natural element that brings us heat and light: methane. As Christians, we understand good energy stewardship to be vitally important for ensuring the quality of life of all persons. We all rely on consistent access to affordable energy to meet our needs.
The U.S. is now the largest producer of natural gas in the world. Yet, methane production on such a large scale comes with some ethically concerning economic, health and ecological side effects. Due to our current lack of basic industry standards, the combined venting, flaring and leaks from the oil and gas industries send large quantities of methane, along with other toxins such as ozone-forming volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and benzene into the atmosphere. This harms our health, God’s earth, as well as our communities’ economic wellbeing.
Now, we are at a decision point where we can take a step toward changing that. The U.S. Department of Interior has proposed a reasonable methane emission reduction standard for oil and gas operations on federal and tribal lands. The proposal presented by U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell seeks to update oil and gas industry standards that are more than 30 years old and no longer serve and protect God’s people or God’s planet. The proposed standard would reduce national gas waste, save money and also improve air quality and protect our community’s health.
From the Parable of the Talents to the story of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, Christian scriptures are full of stories that encourage us to make full use of God’s gifts, wasting nothing, and providing for all in need. The natural gas with which we have been abundantly blessed can indeed meet our needs, if conscientiously used. But, the way we’ve been operating our natural gas industry until now has been anything but responsible. Between 2009 and 2014, oil and gas producers on public and tribal lands vented, flared and/or leaked about 375 billion cubic feet of natural gas. That’s enough gas to power about 5.1 million households for a year.
When oil and gas companies waste natural gas, states, tribal governments, and federal taxpayers lose royalty revenues, and not a small amount, either. According a 2014 Western Values Project report, we could lose as much as $800 million in revenue over the next 10 years. Imagine what better stewardship could get our communities: our nation’s schools, roads and bridges are in disrepair, yet we leave money on the table by failing to capture methane.
By choosing to be good energy stewards, we can also become better stewards of our community’s health. Our faith teaches us to think of our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. Our current methane regulations put us at increased risk for asthma, cancer, and other health problems. When we can prevent harm, we have a sacred duty to do so.
This decision can neither be postponed nor ignored. This is not a special-interest concern, relevant only to those working in energy or environmental sectors. This is a universal and pressing issue. The air we breathe and the fuel we burn concern all of us. We should act in swift support of the proposed standard because it strikes the right balance between meeting the needs of an important and growing energy industry and promoting community health and environmental safety.
Adrian Miller is the executive director of the Colorado Council of Churches.
The original link is here.
