Tom Neltner, J.D., is Chemicals Policy Director While picking up groceries for the week, a shopper may compare brands, prices, and nutritional information to ensure they make economical and healthy choices for their family. Unfortunately, there’s much more to our food than meets the eye – or makes the label. Approximately 10,000 food additives are allowed […]

By Tom Neltner

Tom Neltner, J.D., is Chemicals Policy Director

While picking up groceries for the week, a shopper may compare brands, prices, and nutritional information to ensure they make economical and healthy choices for their family. Unfortunately, there’s much more to our food than meets the eye – or makes the label.

Approximately 10,000 food additives are allowed in our food. Food additives are substances used to flavor, color, preserve, package, process, and store our food. While some of the chemicals added to food or used in packaging are harmless, others are downright dangerous and linked to health concerns. Certain additives are linked to reproductive problems, developmental issues, and even cancer.

Perchlorate was approved in 2005 as a component of plastic packaging for dry food despite the fact that it is a known endocrine disruptor that impairs infant brain development. Benzophenone – an artificial flavor added to baked goods, dessert, beverages, and candy – is classified as a possible human carcinogen. The list goes on. No matter where you shop, your family’s health may be at risk.

Check out the cupboard below to see what else could be lurking in your food.

How did we get here?

The Food Additives Amendment of 1958 was intended to better protect the public by giving the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate food additives. Unfortunately, the flawed, 59-year old law, coupled with weak enforcement, has allowed thousands of chemicals to be added to food with little oversight and limited safety information.

Moreover, the law exempts ingredients “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) from formal FDA review and approval. Originally intended for common ingredients like vinegar and olive oil, industry now abuses the loophole by bypassing FDA review and making safety determinations without oversight.  FDA has never reviewed an estimated 1,000 GRAS substances for safety. And many of the 10,000 additives allowed in our food today were authorized by the FDA or industry decades ago.

This broken system leaves both FDA and consumers in the dark. Under the 1958 law, FDA has no way to know what chemicals are actually being used in which food or in what quantities—even in baby food.

How can we make food safer?

The food regulatory system does not ensure the safety of our food. To fix our broken food system, we must:

• End secrecy: Companies should no longer be permitted to decide the safety of their own ingredients without FDA’s review or the public’s knowledge. Congress needs to create a more streamlined, public process for FDA to make decisions and encourage safer innovation.
• Update the science: When FDA reviews chemicals in our food, it makes our food supply safer. But the agency needs to update its guidance to industry to use modern scientific methods to better protect us.
• Ensure existing chemicals are safe: Thousands of chemicals were approved by FDA decades ago, when we had far less understanding about their impacts on human health. FDA needs to reassess their safety. Congress needs to provide FDA with the tools so the agency can get the information it needs to set priorities and make decisions about the 10,000 chemicals in our food.

Ultimately, to solve the problems in the food system and protect public health, industry should not wait for action by FDA or Congress. Companies should lead on removing the worst chemicals of concern and ensure that FDA reviews all chemicals used for safety.

Consumers are increasingly concerned about chemicals in food. It is long past time for the food regulatory system to do its job and ensure the safety of all the food we give to our families.

Tom Neltner, J.D., is Chemicals Policy Director While picking up groceries for the week, a shopper may compare brands, prices, and nutritional information to ensure they make economical and healthy choices for their family. Unfortunately, there’s much more to our food than meets the eye – or makes the label. Approximately 10,000 food additives are allowed […]

Written by Moms Clean Air Force

When I was a kid, my uncle took my sisters and I to visit his Air Force base in Delaware. The highlight of the tour was the monolithic C5 aircraft – one of the largest military aircrafts in the world. At six stories tall and the length of a football field, it was one of the most impressive things I had even seen. Airmen swarmed about, loading, unloading, and saluting my uncle as he walked past. I was in awe.

Years later, now that I have children of my own, it is my boys who have taken up the fascination with aircraft. They fly their airplanes around the living room, dive bombing each other’s heads and crashing into the couch. Their favorite planes are characters from a Disney movie – Planes: Fire & Rescue – which tells the story of brave planes who fight a forest fire that is ravaging a national park.

My boys get to see these planes in real life far too often. Living in the Rocky Mountains, on hot summer days as we lay out in the backyard, we see the red and white planes of the U.S. Forest Service soar low above our home weekly. I point out that they can still see the windows on these repurposed passenger jets, and they pretend to swoop and soar around the backyard.

The days when the planes fly far away from us, we can enjoy simply watching them zoom past. The days that they stay closer to home are what worry me.

Climate change has led to an increased number of large wildfires in the Western United States. As temperatures tick upwards, the snowpack melts earlier and forests dry out quicker causing fires to spread rapidly. Thunderstorms grow more severe and lightning strikes more often. If the average summertime temperature increases by 2.9 degrees, the overall area burned is estimated to double by the end of the century.

On far too many summer days, we stay indoors with the windows shut tight and watch our city be overtaken by an eerie, smoky glow. The smoke swirls in our street and even the early morning light gives the impression of a setting sun. Our fabled Big Sky disappears under the smog, and the news warns us that the air quality outside is worse than in Beijing.

My children press their noses up to the glass, fingers wrapped around toy planes, longing to run free again. I check the air quality alerts on my phone religiously, and tell them it looks like we will be staying inside again today, too. The situation frustrates me as much as it frustrates them. No child should be sentenced to a life indoors because our country stubbornly refuses to recognize their basic right to clean air.

When they aren’t dreaming of becoming astronauts or paleontologists, my sons aspire to be forest fire fighters when they grow up. They envision themselves wielding powerful hoses and deftly piloting planes through narrow escapes. The desire to be the hero is strong at this age. It reminds me of the men and women swarming the C5 aircraft that day I toured the base years ago, diligently working towards a goal. Twenty years later after that trip, top U.S. military officers would be announcing that “the current trajectory of climatic change presents a strategically-significant risk to U.S. national security, and inaction is not a viable option.”

Our country does not lack the strength, fortitude, or ability to address climate change. It is evident to me, the mother of two young boys living in Montana, we need to take swift and decisive action. Too many people are already hurting from the devastating affects of climate change. We have the capability, but it’s clear we must do more to protect the health of future generations. We need to match the passion of little children who want to nothing more than be the heroes who put out the fire.

Jackie Semmens is a mother and freelance writer raising two young boys in beautiful Helena, MT. She has a master’s degree in Medical Anthropology and a Certificate in Public Health. The health impacts of climate change, especially for the most vulnerable, are a primary concern for her. Jackie has worked for a Montana-based think tank which focuses on public policy issues that impact low- and moderate-income Montanans. Much of Jackie’s writing focuses on the intersection of public policy and parenting. Jackie also runs a branch of a Hike it Baby, a family hiking group that encourages parents and caregivers to get outside with young children. She blogs at An Anchored Hope. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter as well.

TELL YOUR SENATOR: PROTECT OUR AIR AND OUR RESOURCES

Written by Harriet Shugarman

Don’t EVER get between a mama bear and her cubs. We know this instinctually and from shared stories. The Climate Listening Project and Moms Clean Air Force through the new video series, The Story We Want, inspire us with amazing actions by everyday moms doing extraordinary things. We see and hear from “mama bears” around the country; their stories are both powerful and empowering. These mothers are taking action to protect the air our children breathe, the water our children drink and the climate our children rely on to live safe, healthy and sustainable lives.

Dayna Reggero the video series director and her team travelled across the United States, to listen and video the stories of a diverse cross-section of women in 8 states: California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The women featured in the videos were united in their efforts to protect their children and their communities, to speak truth to power, and to demand action; like mama bears, they never back down. Dayna and the Listening Project help us really hear these women, as the videos empower us and fill us with inspiration and hope. These women show us that, often against all odds, through hard work and determination we can, and will, succeed.

Mom Power at the Local and State Level

While our federal government sorts out it’s ability to make laws, remove laws and challenge existing orders in court and in the halls of Congress, local power remains strong. Virtually, every local government possesses some degree of local autonomy, and every state legislature retains some degree of control over local governments. So, regardless of which types of local rules apply in your state, people power at the local, regional and state level – when organized and focused – can and is powerful. The moms we meet in these videos show us again and again, if we use our voices and our heads, our actions can lead to real and lasting action. My motto at Climate Mama is: “Tell the truth, actions speak louder than words, and don’t be afraid.” These moms embody this creed.

Most of the moms we meet in these videos would not consider themselves “environmentalists or activists.” According to Dayna, “They are from diverse and different backgrounds – teachers, doctors, and stay at home moms – unique in their beliefs and politics, yet united by their concern for their children.” Dayna felt strongly that: “once they made the decision to be active participants in America – to ask questions and to speak out – they realized they weren’t alone.” Not only did these moms connect locally with other women, they also connected with other moms around the country through Moms Clean Air Force.

Gretchen Dahlkemper, National Field Director for MCAF traveled with Dayna on many of her trips across the country listening to parents – hearing their stories, their hopes, their dreams, failures and successes. When and where it made sense, MCAF regional and national staff worked with these moms to help them as they developed solutions that fit local problems. From “Mama Summit” lobby days at statehouses, to testifying at congressional committees and at local town councils, school boards and planning commissions, MCAF helps parents develop the tools to create and find the resources they need to take action.

Share the Videos!

By sharing these videos and bringing these stories to our families, friends and neighbors, we can help lift up all our sprits. Our children’s present and future rests in our hopeful collective hands. Hope does spring eternal – it really does. So, please share these videos far and wide. Thank you!

TELL YOUR SENATOR: PROTECT OUR AIR AND OUR RESOURCES

By EDF Blogs

A sample of the diverse groups that have come out against President Trump's Executive Order on climate change.

By Charlie Jiang

President Trump’s executive order seeking to unravel critical public health and climate protections — including the Clean Power Plan — is being met with strong rebuttals and a clear demonstration of ongoing climate leadership from across the country.

An extraordinary diversity of American faith and justice leaders, businesses, health and security experts, and elected officials have spoken out against Trump’s actions or vowed to continue reducing carbon pollution and move towards a low-carbon future.

The overwhelming response to these recent attacks on our vital climate safeguards shows that Americans are coming together to protect our communities. Millions of Americans — a majority of adults in every congressional district — support limiting carbon emissions to guard against climate instability.

Here are some highlights from the many powerful statements made in the last week:

Leaders from at least 15 faith communities raised alarm at the dangerous impacts rolling back climate progress would have on America’s most vulnerable communities:

• The United Church of Christ’s national leadership said: “Because climate change makes all other injustice worse, now is the time for us to step up.”
• “The Clean Power Plan [gives] states a framework for progress in the sacred work of safeguarding our earth’s natural resources,” affirmed Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner on behalf of Reform Judaism
• “The absence of a strong climate policy means more dangerous pollution that harms the unborn and children,” warned Evangelical Environmental Network President and CEO Mitch Hescox.
• "This is a challenge for us," said Vatican leader Cardinal Peter Turkson, a chief architect of the Pope’s “Laudato Si” encyclical on climate change. “Fortunately, in the United States, there are dissenting voices, people who are against Trump’s positions.”

Health associations representing more than 500,000 doctors and medical experts emphasized the public health imperative of reducing air pollution and addressing climate change:

• “Implementing the Clean Power Plan alone would prevent 90,000 asthma attacks and 3,600 premature deaths every year once fully in place, wrote the American Lung Association. “Our nation needs these lifesaving protections.”
• The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health said “As medical professionals, many of our members know firsthand the harmful health effects of climate change on patients.”
• “Clean air should not be a luxury, and it should not be determined by ZIP code,” said the American Academy of Pediatrics.

At least 75 mayors, state governors, and attorneys general who represent more than 149 million people — nearly half of the U.S. population — reiterated the need to combat climate change and protect the communities they serve:

• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said: “The science of climate change is settled and the President’s actions today turn the federal government’s back on Pennsylvania’s environment and our economy.”
• Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said: “We will keep building a clean energy future that creates Colorado jobs, improves our health and addresses the harmful consequences of a changing climate.”
• A coalition of 23 attorneys general and local legal counsels from states including California, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, and Virginia wrote: “We won’t hesitate to protect those we serve—including by aggressively opposing in court President Trump’s actions that ignore both the law and the critical importance of confronting the very real threat of climate change.”
• Mayors from 47 cities including Houston (TX), Knoxville (TN), Durham (NC), Fayetteville (AR), Los Angeles (CA), Chicago (IL), and New York City, released a letter reading, “Climate change is both the greatest single threat we face, and our greatest economic opportunity for our nation.”

 

Power companies owning generating capacity able to power roughly two-thirds of all homes in the U.S. spoke out to recommit to providing ever more clean energy in the wake of the executive order. Here is a sample:

• “We intend to keep moving forward with a low-priced, clean energy strategy that provides the economical, clean energy our customers want,” said Ben Fowke, CEO of Xcel Energy.
• “Going forward, we anticipate an increase in renewable generation capacity and declining utilization of coal,” said Southern Company spokesperson Terrell McCollum.
• "We will continue our transition to more natural gas and renewables as we balance out our generation portfolio and provide cleaner energy,” said a spokesperson for American Electric Power.
• “Because of the competitive price of natural gas and the declining price of renewables, continuing to drive carbon out makes sense for us,” said Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good.

 

Reducing carbon emissions and moving to cleaner sources of energy is good for business, say Fortune 500 companies including Apple, General Electric, and Walmart.

• “We’re disappointed the administration has decided to roll back climate regulations such as the Clean Power Plan and others,” said Edward Hoover, a senior executive at Mars Inc.
• Fighting climate change is “good for the business, our shareholders and customers,” said a Walmart
• “We believe climate change should be addressed on a global basis,” wrote General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt. “We hope that the United States continues to play a constructive role in furthering solutions to these challenges.”
• “We believe that strong clean energy and climate policies, like the Clean Power Plan, can make renewable energy supplies more robust and address the serious threat of climate change while also supporting American competitiveness, innovation, and job growth,” a group of tech companies including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon said in a statement.

Leading national security experts warned of the impact President Trump’s order will have on American security.

• The non-partisan American Security Project said: “While energy independence is a credible goal, the actions suggested will not lead to real energy security. Rather, the order removes basic programs, such as the Clean Power Plan and climate resilient development, which bolster the security of our country.”
• Alice Hill, a former resilience policy advisor to the National Security Council under President Obama said: “Deliberately ignoring the devastation brought by climate change will leave us anything but secure.”

Officials who served administrations in both parties criticized moving backwards on climate:

• “This is not just dangerous; it’s embarrassing to us and our businesses on a global scale to be dismissing opportunities for new technologies, economic growth, and U.S. leadership,” said Gina McCarthy, former EPA administrator under Barack Obama.
• Asked about rumors the Trump Administration could abandon the Paris Agreement, Christine Todd Whitman, an EPA administrator under George W. Bush, said, “We lose any ability, any moral authority, to say to any other country, ‘You have to clean up your act.’”
• Trump’s order "is reckless, arrogant policy that ignores the safety and well-being of our country and our children," said former Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern, who helped broker the Paris Agreement.

 

Community organizers working for environmental justice condemned President Trump’s attacks on America’s most vulnerable communities:

• “The decision by President Donald Trump to roll back the hard fought progress made on clean air and clean energy is extremely disappointing and dangerous,” said NAACP President & CEO Cornell William Brooks. “We are now on a dangerous path that puts workers, communities and the planet in harm’s way.”
• Former Kentuckians for the Commonwealth chairperson Dana Beasley Brown said: “As Kentuckians, we have to work for the kinds of solutions we know can provide good jobs, allow people to stay and live in their communities, take care of their families, and not have to make the choice between being healthy and having a good job.”
• Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network said “Indigenous peoples will not stand idle as we tell the world the Earth is the source of life to be protected, not merely a resource to be exploited and abused.”

President Trump’s executive order will only take us backwards to an era of more pollution and more disease.

But it is clear from the overwhelming pushback that community leaders, businesses, and health and security experts, as well as millions of Americans across the country, support maintaining strong climate and public health protections and moving forward on clean energy — not turning back the clock.

Read more responses to last week’s Executive Order here.

 

By EDF Blogs

A sample of the diverse groups that have come out against President Trump's Executive Order on climate change.

By Charlie Jiang

President Trump’s executive order seeking to unravel critical public health and climate protections — including the Clean Power Plan — is being met with strong rebuttals and a clear demonstration of ongoing climate leadership from across the country.

An extraordinary diversity of American faith and justice leaders, businesses, health and security experts, and elected officials have spoken out against Trump’s actions or vowed to continue reducing carbon pollution and move towards a low-carbon future.

The overwhelming response to these recent attacks on our vital climate safeguards shows that Americans are coming together to protect our communities. Millions of Americans — a majority of adults in every congressional district — support limiting carbon emissions to guard against climate instability.

Here are some highlights from the many powerful statements made in the last week:

Leaders from at least 15 faith communities raised alarm at the dangerous impacts rolling back climate progress would have on America’s most vulnerable communities:

• The United Church of Christ’s national leadership said: “Because climate change makes all other injustice worse, now is the time for us to step up.”
• “The Clean Power Plan [gives] states a framework for progress in the sacred work of safeguarding our earth’s natural resources,” affirmed Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner on behalf of Reform Judaism
• “The absence of a strong climate policy means more dangerous pollution that harms the unborn and children,” warned Evangelical Environmental Network President and CEO Mitch Hescox.
• "This is a challenge for us," said Vatican leader Cardinal Peter Turkson, a chief architect of the Pope’s “Laudato Si” encyclical on climate change. “Fortunately, in the United States, there are dissenting voices, people who are against Trump’s positions.”

Health associations representing more than 500,000 doctors and medical experts emphasized the public health imperative of reducing air pollution and addressing climate change:

• “Implementing the Clean Power Plan alone would prevent 90,000 asthma attacks and 3,600 premature deaths every year once fully in place, wrote the American Lung Association. “Our nation needs these lifesaving protections.”
• The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health said “As medical professionals, many of our members know firsthand the harmful health effects of climate change on patients.”
• “Clean air should not be a luxury, and it should not be determined by ZIP code,” said the American Academy of Pediatrics.

At least 75 mayors, state governors, and attorneys general who represent more than 149 million people — nearly half of the U.S. population — reiterated the need to combat climate change and protect the communities they serve:

• Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said: “The science of climate change is settled and the President’s actions today turn the federal government’s back on Pennsylvania’s environment and our economy.”
• Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper said: “We will keep building a clean energy future that creates Colorado jobs, improves our health and addresses the harmful consequences of a changing climate.”
• A coalition of 23 attorneys general and local legal counsels from states including California, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, and Virginia wrote: “We won’t hesitate to protect those we serve—including by aggressively opposing in court President Trump’s actions that ignore both the law and the critical importance of confronting the very real threat of climate change.”
• Mayors from 47 cities including Houston (TX), Knoxville (TN), Durham (NC), Fayetteville (AR), Los Angeles (CA), Chicago (IL), and New York City, released a letter reading, “Climate change is both the greatest single threat we face, and our greatest economic opportunity for our nation.”

 

Power companies owning generating capacity able to power roughly two-thirds of all homes in the U.S. spoke out to recommit to providing ever more clean energy in the wake of the executive order. Here is a sample:

• “We intend to keep moving forward with a low-priced, clean energy strategy that provides the economical, clean energy our customers want,” said Ben Fowke, CEO of Xcel Energy.
• “Going forward, we anticipate an increase in renewable generation capacity and declining utilization of coal,” said Southern Company spokesperson Terrell McCollum.
• "We will continue our transition to more natural gas and renewables as we balance out our generation portfolio and provide cleaner energy,” said a spokesperson for American Electric Power.
• “Because of the competitive price of natural gas and the declining price of renewables, continuing to drive carbon out makes sense for us,” said Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good.

 

Reducing carbon emissions and moving to cleaner sources of energy is good for business, say Fortune 500 companies including Apple, General Electric, and Walmart.

• “We’re disappointed the administration has decided to roll back climate regulations such as the Clean Power Plan and others,” said Edward Hoover, a senior executive at Mars Inc.
• Fighting climate change is “good for the business, our shareholders and customers,” said a Walmart
• “We believe climate change should be addressed on a global basis,” wrote General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt. “We hope that the United States continues to play a constructive role in furthering solutions to these challenges.”
• “We believe that strong clean energy and climate policies, like the Clean Power Plan, can make renewable energy supplies more robust and address the serious threat of climate change while also supporting American competitiveness, innovation, and job growth,” a group of tech companies including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon said in a statement.

Leading national security experts warned of the impact President Trump’s order will have on American security.

• The non-partisan American Security Project said: “While energy independence is a credible goal, the actions suggested will not lead to real energy security. Rather, the order removes basic programs, such as the Clean Power Plan and climate resilient development, which bolster the security of our country.”
• Alice Hill, a former resilience policy advisor to the National Security Council under President Obama said: “Deliberately ignoring the devastation brought by climate change will leave us anything but secure.”

Officials who served administrations in both parties criticized moving backwards on climate:

• “This is not just dangerous; it’s embarrassing to us and our businesses on a global scale to be dismissing opportunities for new technologies, economic growth, and U.S. leadership,” said Gina McCarthy, former EPA administrator under Barack Obama.
• Asked about rumors the Trump Administration could abandon the Paris Agreement, Christine Todd Whitman, an EPA administrator under George W. Bush, said, “We lose any ability, any moral authority, to say to any other country, ‘You have to clean up your act.’”
• Trump’s order "is reckless, arrogant policy that ignores the safety and well-being of our country and our children," said former Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern, who helped broker the Paris Agreement.

 

Community organizers working for environmental justice condemned President Trump’s attacks on America’s most vulnerable communities:

• “The decision by President Donald Trump to roll back the hard fought progress made on clean air and clean energy is extremely disappointing and dangerous,” said NAACP President & CEO Cornell William Brooks. “We are now on a dangerous path that puts workers, communities and the planet in harm’s way.”
• Former Kentuckians for the Commonwealth chairperson Dana Beasley Brown said: “As Kentuckians, we have to work for the kinds of solutions we know can provide good jobs, allow people to stay and live in their communities, take care of their families, and not have to make the choice between being healthy and having a good job.”
• Tom Goldtooth, executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network said “Indigenous peoples will not stand idle as we tell the world the Earth is the source of life to be protected, not merely a resource to be exploited and abused.”

President Trump’s executive order will only take us backwards to an era of more pollution and more disease.

But it is clear from the overwhelming pushback that community leaders, businesses, and health and security experts, as well as millions of Americans across the country, support maintaining strong climate and public health protections and moving forward on clean energy — not turning back the clock.

Read more responses to last week’s Executive Order here.

 

The following letter was recently signed by over XX faith leaders and delivered to the The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority in support of the 2017 Master Plan. Dear Members of the CPRA: The persons who have signed this letter are faith leaders, and we submit this comment on the 2017 Coastal Master Plan of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority because we are children of the One who created us and the planet on which we reside. God calls humans ...

Read The Full Story

The post Louisiana Faith Leaders Support Coastal Restoration appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

The following letter was recently signed by over XX faith leaders and delivered to the The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority in support of the 2017 Master Plan. Dear Members of the CPRA: The persons who have signed this letter are faith leaders, and we submit this comment on the 2017 Coastal Master Plan of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority because we are children of the One who created us and the planet on which we reside. God calls humans ...

Read The Full Story

The post Louisiana Faith Leaders Support Coastal Restoration appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

The following letter was recently signed by over XX faith leaders and delivered to the The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority in support of the 2017 Master Plan. Dear Members of the CPRA: The persons who have signed this letter are faith leaders, and we submit this comment on the 2017 Coastal Master Plan of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority because we are children of the One who created us and the planet on which we reside. God calls humans ...

Read The Full Story

The post Louisiana Faith Leaders Support Coastal Restoration appeared first on Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

By Drew Nelson

Following energy reform in 2013, oil and gas industry expansion in Mexico is moving full steam ahead. The first round of bidding for Mexico-owned deep-water oil leases wrapped last December, ushering in a slew of private companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron for the first time since the 1930s. Additional leases for land that will become hotbeds for oil and gas activity on and offshore are planned later this year.

All of this is happening while Mexico is demonstrating remarkable climate leadership, and while countries and energy companies around the world are beginning to act on controlling methane, a harmful pollutant that routinely escapes from the global oil and gas industry. In other words, the Mexico energy boom couldn’t come at more critical time. Mexico ranks as the world’s fifth largest oil and gas methane emitter. Absent strong rules for future development, these emissions could steadily rise as more oil and gas production comes on line as a result of the energy reform.

Conversely, getting the rules right in Mexico before the energy boom happens makes sense – it’s a lot smarter to require a clean industry from the start rather than trying to clean it up years after it arrives. Mexico taking the steps now to implement strong regulations that support responsible energy development would help ensure important protections for its citizens and growing economy.

The good news is that policies to reduce methane are incredibly cost-effective, and many jurisdictions have already begun to develop and implement regulations to address this powerful pollutant. Recent progress in California is an example of best-in-class oil and gas methane regulations and are an important reference as Mexico seeks to develop similar regulations of its own.

Prevention Underpins California’s Methane Rules

Last week, California finalized the strongest oil and gas regulations to rein in methane pollution anywhere in the U.S., joining other red and blue states that are continuing to act (see here, here and here). California’s new rules require oil and gas companies to curb emissions at both new and old facilities operated on and offshore, and will save millions worth of lost gas every year. This is the first major environmental regulation issued since the new U.S. Administration took office, and it sends a clear message that states are charting their own future as leaders in Washington dismantle vital energy and environmental policies that protect all Americans.

Central to California’s methane journey was Aliso Canyon, a mega gas-leak in Southern California that captured worldwide attention. Caused by a well blowout deep underground at a natural gas storage facility, the disaster became the poster child for how bad the oil and gas industry’s methane problem can get when requirements for routine leak inspections, equipment maintenance and operation is lacking.  Case in point: documents demonstrate the facility wasn’t required to inspect for well-casing thickness or for gas leaks at the surface even though it had experienced an increasing number of infrastructure integrity problems in recent years and was operated without secondary containment systems.

Aliso Canyon – and California’s lesson learned from it– stands as an example for Mexico. It is squarely in Mexico’s interest to ensure that all oil and gas companies operating within its borders meet the same environmental safety standards required elsewhere. Without consistent policies, companies can exploit differences in national and subnational safeguards and ultimately hurt Mexico’s economy and citizens.

Methane: An Urgent Climate Pollutant

To appreciate the significance of Mexico’s situation, you have to consider what’s happening around the world regarding climate science and policy. In March, the World Meteorological Organisation released its State of the Climate Report, and the news was alarming. Global temperature broke records again in 2016, while sea-level rise accelerates. WIRED Magazine concluded, “we have surpassed our understanding of our changing climate and have stepped into truly ‘uncharted territory’”.

There is also growing understanding of the powerful role methane plays in global warming. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas over 80 times more damaging than carbon dioxide over the first 20 years it sits in the atmosphere. Scientists say methane accounts for about 25 percent of current warming and that emission levels are spiking worldwide. Globally, the oil and gas industry is among the largest emitters of methane through accidental or intentional releases.

A climate scientist at Simon Frazer University put it simply: “We need to mitigate both [methane and carbon dioxide] as soon as possible. There are no trade-offs.”

This urgency has a silver lining. Because methane is so potent, reducing it will have quick and powerful climate impact. For example, cutting global oil and gas methane emissions 45 percent by 2025 would have the same short-term climate benefit as closing one-third of the world’s coal plants. In addition, analyses have shown that reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector can be achieved affordably with existing technology.

Mexico’s Energy Boom is Methane’s Next Big Venue

Mexico has been a reliable and visible climate leader – even before its methane pledge last year. And it has a long history of working with leaders in California on a variety of environmental and climate related initiatives.

Now, with new and strong methane model from California, Mexico has a great chance to leverage its pending energy boom to help, rather than hinder, its efforts to meet its international methane pledge. By establishing fair and sensible rules for its growing energy industry, it can not only bolster the boom’s economic impact, but further demonstrate the international climate bone fides it earned in recent years.

Image source: Wokandapix, Pixabay

Following energy reform in 2013, oil and gas industry expansion in Mexico is moving full steam ahead. The first round of bidding for Mexico-owned deep-water oil leases wrapped last December, ushering in a slew of private companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron for the first time since the 1930s. Additional leases for land that will become […]

By Drew Nelson

Following energy reform in 2013, oil and gas industry expansion in Mexico is moving full steam ahead. The first round of bidding for Mexico-owned deep-water oil leases wrapped last December, ushering in a slew of private companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron for the first time since the 1930s. Additional leases for land that will become hotbeds for oil and gas activity on and offshore are planned later this year.

All of this is happening while Mexico is demonstrating remarkable climate leadership, and while countries and energy companies around the world are beginning to act on controlling methane, a harmful pollutant that routinely escapes from the global oil and gas industry. In other words, the Mexico energy boom couldn’t come at more critical time. Mexico ranks as the world’s fifth largest oil and gas methane emitter. Absent strong rules for future development, these emissions could steadily rise as more oil and gas production comes on line as a result of the energy reform.

Conversely, getting the rules right in Mexico before the energy boom happens makes sense – it’s a lot smarter to require a clean industry from the start rather than trying to clean it up years after it arrives. Mexico taking the steps now to implement strong regulations that support responsible energy development would help ensure important protections for its citizens and growing economy.

The good news is that policies to reduce methane are incredibly cost-effective, and many jurisdictions have already begun to develop and implement regulations to address this powerful pollutant. Recent progress in California is an example of best-in-class oil and gas methane regulations and are an important reference as Mexico seeks to develop similar regulations of its own.

Prevention Underpins California’s Methane Rules

Last week, California finalized the strongest oil and gas regulations to rein in methane pollution anywhere in the U.S., joining other red and blue states that are continuing to act (see here, here and here). California’s new rules require oil and gas companies to curb emissions at both new and old facilities operated on and offshore, and will save millions worth of lost gas every year. This is the first major environmental regulation issued since the new U.S. Administration took office, and it sends a clear message that states are charting their own future as leaders in Washington dismantle vital energy and environmental policies that protect all Americans.

Central to California’s methane journey was Aliso Canyon, a mega gas-leak in Southern California that captured worldwide attention. Caused by a well blowout deep underground at a natural gas storage facility, the disaster became the poster child for how bad the oil and gas industry’s methane problem can get when requirements for routine leak inspections, equipment maintenance and operation is lacking.  Case in point: documents demonstrate the facility wasn’t required to inspect for well-casing thickness or for gas leaks at the surface even though it had experienced an increasing number of infrastructure integrity problems in recent years and was operated without secondary containment systems.

Aliso Canyon – and California’s lesson learned from it– stands as an example for Mexico. It is squarely in Mexico’s interest to ensure that all oil and gas companies operating within its borders meet the same environmental safety standards required elsewhere. Without consistent policies, companies can exploit differences in national and subnational safeguards and ultimately hurt Mexico’s economy and citizens.

Methane: An Urgent Climate Pollutant

To appreciate the significance of Mexico’s situation, you have to consider what’s happening around the world regarding climate science and policy. In March, the World Meteorological Organisation released its State of the Climate Report, and the news was alarming. Global temperature broke records again in 2016, while sea-level rise accelerates. WIRED Magazine concluded, “we have surpassed our understanding of our changing climate and have stepped into truly ‘uncharted territory’”.

There is also growing understanding of the powerful role methane plays in global warming. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas over 80 times more damaging than carbon dioxide over the first 20 years it sits in the atmosphere. Scientists say methane accounts for about 25 percent of current warming and that emission levels are spiking worldwide. Globally, the oil and gas industry is among the largest emitters of methane through accidental or intentional releases.

A climate scientist at Simon Frazer University put it simply: “We need to mitigate both [methane and carbon dioxide] as soon as possible. There are no trade-offs.”

This urgency has a silver lining. Because methane is so potent, reducing it will have quick and powerful climate impact. For example, cutting global oil and gas methane emissions 45 percent by 2025 would have the same short-term climate benefit as closing one-third of the world’s coal plants. In addition, analyses have shown that reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector can be achieved affordably with existing technology.

Mexico’s Energy Boom is Methane’s Next Big Venue

Mexico has been a reliable and visible climate leader – even before its methane pledge last year. And it has a long history of working with leaders in California on a variety of environmental and climate related initiatives.

Now, with new and strong methane model from California, Mexico has a great chance to leverage its pending energy boom to help, rather than hinder, its efforts to meet its international methane pledge. By establishing fair and sensible rules for its growing energy industry, it can not only bolster the boom’s economic impact, but further demonstrate the international climate bone fides it earned in recent years.

Image source: Wokandapix, Pixabay

By Drew Nelson

Following energy reform in 2013, oil and gas industry expansion in Mexico is moving full steam ahead. The first round of bidding for Mexico-owned deep-water oil leases wrapped last December, ushering in a slew of private companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron for the first time since the 1930s. Additional leases for land that will become hotbeds for oil and gas activity on and offshore are planned later this year.

All of this is happening while Mexico is demonstrating remarkable climate leadership, and while countries and energy companies around the world are beginning to act on controlling methane, a harmful pollutant that routinely escapes from the global oil and gas industry. In other words, the Mexico energy boom couldn’t come at more critical time. Mexico ranks as the world’s fifth largest oil and gas methane emitter. Absent strong rules for future development, these emissions could steadily rise as more oil and gas production comes on line as a result of the energy reform.

Conversely, getting the rules right in Mexico before the energy boom happens makes sense – it’s a lot smarter to require a clean industry from the start rather than trying to clean it up years after it arrives. Mexico taking the steps now to implement strong regulations that support responsible energy development would help ensure important protections for its citizens and growing economy.

The good news is that policies to reduce methane are incredibly cost-effective, and many jurisdictions have already begun to develop and implement regulations to address this powerful pollutant. Recent progress in California is an example of best-in-class oil and gas methane regulations and are an important reference as Mexico seeks to develop similar regulations of its own.

Prevention Underpins California’s Methane Rules

Last week, California finalized the strongest oil and gas regulations to rein in methane pollution anywhere in the U.S., joining other red and blue states that are continuing to act (see here, here and here). California’s new rules require oil and gas companies to curb emissions at both new and old facilities operated on and offshore, and will save millions worth of lost gas every year. This is the first major environmental regulation issued since the new U.S. Administration took office, and it sends a clear message that states are charting their own future as leaders in Washington dismantle vital energy and environmental policies that protect all Americans.

Central to California’s methane journey was Aliso Canyon, a mega gas-leak in Southern California that captured worldwide attention. Caused by a well blowout deep underground at a natural gas storage facility, the disaster became the poster child for how bad the oil and gas industry’s methane problem can get when requirements for routine leak inspections, equipment maintenance and operation is lacking.  Case in point: documents demonstrate the facility wasn’t required to inspect for well-casing thickness or for gas leaks at the surface even though it had experienced an increasing number of infrastructure integrity problems in recent years and was operated without secondary containment systems.

Aliso Canyon – and California’s lesson learned from it– stands as an example for Mexico. It is squarely in Mexico’s interest to ensure that all oil and gas companies operating within its borders meet the same environmental safety standards required elsewhere. Without consistent policies, companies can exploit differences in national and subnational safeguards and ultimately hurt Mexico’s economy and citizens.

Methane: An Urgent Climate Pollutant

To appreciate the significance of Mexico’s situation, you have to consider what’s happening around the world regarding climate science and policy. In March, the World Meteorological Organisation released its State of the Climate Report, and the news was alarming. Global temperature broke records again in 2016, while sea-level rise accelerates. WIRED Magazine concluded, “we have surpassed our understanding of our changing climate and have stepped into truly ‘uncharted territory’”.

There is also growing understanding of the powerful role methane plays in global warming. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas over 80 times more damaging than carbon dioxide over the first 20 years it sits in the atmosphere. Scientists say methane accounts for about 25 percent of current warming and that emission levels are spiking worldwide. Globally, the oil and gas industry is among the largest emitters of methane through accidental or intentional releases.

A climate scientist at Simon Frazer University put it simply: “We need to mitigate both [methane and carbon dioxide] as soon as possible. There are no trade-offs.”

This urgency has a silver lining. Because methane is so potent, reducing it will have quick and powerful climate impact. For example, cutting global oil and gas methane emissions 45 percent by 2025 would have the same short-term climate benefit as closing one-third of the world’s coal plants. In addition, analyses have shown that reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector can be achieved affordably with existing technology.

Mexico’s Energy Boom is Methane’s Next Big Venue

Mexico has been a reliable and visible climate leader – even before its methane pledge last year. And it has a long history of working with leaders in California on a variety of environmental and climate related initiatives.

Now, with new and strong methane model from California, Mexico has a great chance to leverage its pending energy boom to help, rather than hinder, its efforts to meet its international methane pledge. By establishing fair and sensible rules for its growing energy industry, it can not only bolster the boom’s economic impact, but further demonstrate the international climate bone fides it earned in recent years.

Image source: Wokandapix, Pixabay

By Drew Nelson

Following energy reform in 2013, oil and gas industry expansion in Mexico is moving full steam ahead. The first round of bidding for Mexico-owned deep-water oil leases wrapped last December, ushering in a slew of private companies like ExxonMobil and Chevron for the first time since the 1930s. Additional leases for land that will become hotbeds for oil and gas activity on and offshore are planned later this year.

All of this is happening while Mexico is demonstrating remarkable climate leadership, and while countries and energy companies around the world are beginning to act on controlling methane, a harmful pollutant that routinely escapes from the global oil and gas industry. In other words, the Mexico energy boom couldn’t come at more critical time. Mexico ranks as the world’s fifth largest oil and gas methane emitter. Absent strong rules for future development, these emissions could steadily rise as more oil and gas production comes on line as a result of the energy reform.

Conversely, getting the rules right in Mexico before the energy boom happens makes sense – it’s a lot smarter to require a clean industry from the start rather than trying to clean it up years after it arrives. Mexico taking the steps now to implement strong regulations that support responsible energy development would help ensure important protections for its citizens and growing economy.

The good news is that policies to reduce methane are incredibly cost-effective, and many jurisdictions have already begun to develop and implement regulations to address this powerful pollutant. Recent progress in California is an example of best-in-class oil and gas methane regulations and are an important reference as Mexico seeks to develop similar regulations of its own.

Prevention Underpins California’s Methane Rules

Last week, California finalized the strongest oil and gas regulations to rein in methane pollution anywhere in the U.S., joining other red and blue states that are continuing to act (see here, here and here). California’s new rules require oil and gas companies to curb emissions at both new and old facilities operated on and offshore, and will save millions worth of lost gas every year. This is the first major environmental regulation issued since the new U.S. Administration took office, and it sends a clear message that states are charting their own future as leaders in Washington dismantle vital energy and environmental policies that protect all Americans.

Central to California’s methane journey was Aliso Canyon, a mega gas-leak in Southern California that captured worldwide attention. Caused by a well blowout deep underground at a natural gas storage facility, the disaster became the poster child for how bad the oil and gas industry’s methane problem can get when requirements for routine leak inspections, equipment maintenance and operation is lacking.  Case in point: documents demonstrate the facility wasn’t required to inspect for well-casing thickness or for gas leaks at the surface even though it had experienced an increasing number of infrastructure integrity problems in recent years and was operated without secondary containment systems.

Aliso Canyon – and California’s lesson learned from it– stands as an example for Mexico. It is squarely in Mexico’s interest to ensure that all oil and gas companies operating within its borders meet the same environmental safety standards required elsewhere. Without consistent policies, companies can exploit differences in national and subnational safeguards and ultimately hurt Mexico’s economy and citizens.

Methane: An Urgent Climate Pollutant

To appreciate the significance of Mexico’s situation, you have to consider what’s happening around the world regarding climate science and policy. In March, the World Meteorological Organisation released its State of the Climate Report, and the news was alarming. Global temperature broke records again in 2016, while sea-level rise accelerates. WIRED Magazine concluded, “we have surpassed our understanding of our changing climate and have stepped into truly ‘uncharted territory’”.

There is also growing understanding of the powerful role methane plays in global warming. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas over 80 times more damaging than carbon dioxide over the first 20 years it sits in the atmosphere. Scientists say methane accounts for about 25 percent of current warming and that emission levels are spiking worldwide. Globally, the oil and gas industry is among the largest emitters of methane through accidental or intentional releases.

A climate scientist at Simon Frazer University put it simply: “We need to mitigate both [methane and carbon dioxide] as soon as possible. There are no trade-offs.”

This urgency has a silver lining. Because methane is so potent, reducing it will have quick and powerful climate impact. For example, cutting global oil and gas methane emissions 45 percent by 2025 would have the same short-term climate benefit as closing one-third of the world’s coal plants. In addition, analyses have shown that reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector can be achieved affordably with existing technology.

Mexico’s Energy Boom is Methane’s Next Big Venue

Mexico has been a reliable and visible climate leader – even before its methane pledge last year. And it has a long history of working with leaders in California on a variety of environmental and climate related initiatives.

Now, with new and strong methane model from California, Mexico has a great chance to leverage its pending energy boom to help, rather than hinder, its efforts to meet its international methane pledge. By establishing fair and sensible rules for its growing energy industry, it can not only bolster the boom’s economic impact, but further demonstrate the international climate bone fides it earned in recent years.

Image source: Wokandapix, Pixabay

By Drew Nelson

A raíz de la reforma energética en 2013, la expansión de la industria del gas y del petróleo ha crecido rápidamente. La primera ronda de licitaciones para el arrendamiento de petróleo en aguas profundas mexicanas terminó en diciembre, marcando el inicio para una serie de compañías privadas como:  ExxonMobil y Chevron, por primera vez desde los años treinta. Durante este año se planean arrendamientos adicionales de lugares que se convertirán en nichos para actividades petroleras y de gas, tanto en tierra como mar adentro.

Todo esto sucede mientras México demuestra un notable clima de liderazgo, y mientras los países y las compañías del sector energético alrededor del mundo empiezan a actuar para controlar las emisiones de metano, un contaminante sumamente dañino que en forma rutinaria escapa de la industria mundial del petróleo y el gas. En otras palabras, el auge energético no pudo suceder en un momento más crítico. México está clasificado como el quinto emisor de metano más grande del mundo. Con la ausencia de reglas sólidas para el desarrollo futuro, estas emisiones pueden aumentar a un ritmo constante conforme más producción de petróleo y gas entre en operación como resultado de la reforma energética.

Por otra parte, tener las reglas adecuadas en México antes de que suceda el auge energético tiene sentido – es más inteligente solicitar una industria limpia desde el inicio que tratar de limpiarla años después de su llegada. Al tomar México medidas ahora para implementar regulaciones sólidas que respalden el desarrollo responsable de la energía, ayudará a asegurar protecciones importantes para los ciudadanos y para la creciente economía.

La buena noticia es que las políticas para reducir el metano son increíblemente rentables, y muchas jurisdicciones ya han empezado a desarrollar e implementar regulaciones para encarar a este poderoso contaminante. El reciente progreso en California es un ejemplo de una de las mejores regulaciones para metano producido por petróleo y gas, y es una importante referencia ahora que México busca desarrollar regulaciones similares propias.

La prevención es la base de las Reglas para el Metano en California.

La semana pasada, California finalizó las regulaciones más sólidas en materia de gas y petróleo  para controlar la contaminación por metano en cualquier parte de los EE. UU. uniéndose a otros estados azules y rojos, que siguen actuando (ver aquí, aquí and aquí). Las nuevas reglas de California requieren que las compañías de petróleo y de gas reduzcan las emisiones tanto en las nuevas como en las viejas instalaciones en tierra y mar adentro, con lo cual, ahorrarán millones de dólares por la pérdida de gas cada año.  Esta es la primera gran regulación ambiental emitida desde el inicio del nuevo gobierno de EE.UU., y envía un claro mensaje de que los estados están trazando su propio futuro, mientras los líderes en Washington desmantelan la energía vital y las políticas ambientales que protegen a los estadounidenses.

Fue fundamental en la trayectoria del metano de California el incidente del Cañón Aliso,  una gran fuga de gas  en el Sur de California que llamó la atención mundialmente, ocasionada por una explosión en un pozo en el subsuelo profundo en una instalación de almacenamiento de gas natural. El desastre se convirtió en vivo ejemplo de lo mal que puede ponerse el problema del metano en la industria del petróleo y del gas cuando faltan normas para inspecciones de rutina contra fugas, para el mantenimiento de equipo y para la operación.  Caso concreto: los documentos demostraron que no fue requerida una inspección a las instalaciones para verificar el espesor del entubado o fugas de gas en la superficie aun cuando habían experimentado un creciente número de problemas en la integridad de la estructura en años recientes y era operado sin sistemas de contención secundarios.

El Cañón Aliso– y la respuesta de California a ello – constituyen un ejemplo para México. Es justamente el interés de México asegurar que todas las compañías de petróleo y gas que operan dentro de sus fronteras, cumplan con los mismos estándares ambientales requeridos en otros lugares. Sin políticas consistentes, las compañías pueden explotar las diferencias en las medidas de seguridad nacionales y subnacionales y lesionar la economía y a los ciudadanos mexicanos.

Metano: Un Contaminante Apremiante del Ambiente.

Para apreciar el significado de la situación de México, se tiene que considerar lo que ocurre alrededor del mundo con relación a la ciencia del clima y la política. En marzo, la Organización Meteorológica Mundial  publicó su Informe del Estado del Clima, y las noticias fueron alarmantes. La temperatura global volvió a romper récords otra vez en 2016, mientras se acelera el aumento del nivel del mar. WIRED Magazine concluyó, “hemos sobrepasado nuestro entendimiento del cambio climático y estamos parados verdaderamente en un, “terreno desconocido”.

También hay un mayor entendimiento del papel tan poderoso que juega el metano en el calentamiento global. El metano es un potente gas de efecto invernadero, 80 veces más dañino que el dióxido de carbono en los primeros 20 años en que se asienta en la atmósfera. Los científicos dicen que el metano representa alrededor del 25 por ciento del calentamiento actual y los niveles de emisión están alcanzando su máximo mundial. Globalmente, la industrial del petróleo y del gas está entre los más grandes emisores de metano, ya sea por liberaciones accidentales o intencionales.

Un científico climático de la Universidad Simon Fraser, en Canadá, lo explicó de manera simple: “Necesitamos mitigar ambos [metano y dióxido de carbono] tan pronto como sea posible. No hay soluciones intermedias .”

Esta urgencia tiene un lado positivo. Ya que el metano es tan potente, que reducirlo tendrá un rápido y poderoso impacto en el clima. Por ejemplo, cortar las emisiones mundiales de metano producidas por petróleo y gas en un 45 por ciento para el 2025, tendrá el mismo beneficio a corto plazo que cerrar un tercio de las plantas de carbón a nivel mundial. Además, los análisis han mostrado que reducir las emisiones de metano del sector petrolero y del gas puede conseguirse razonablemente con la tecnología existente.

El Auge de la Energía en México Será el Siguiente Gran Escenario para el Metano.

México ha sido un líder confiable y visible en el cambio climático – aún antes del compromiso del metano realizado el año pasado- y tiene una larga historia de trabajo con los líderes en California, en una gran variedad de iniciativas relacionadas con el medio ambiente y el clima.

Ahora, con el nuevo y sólido modelo para el metano en California, México tiene una gran oportunidad de potenciar su auge energético pendiente para ayudar, en vez de obstaculizar, sus esfuerzos para cumplir su compromiso internacional sobre el metano. Al establecer reglas justas y sensibles para su creciente industria energética, no sólo reforzará el impacto económico de este auge, sino que demostrará una vez más la buena fe en el entorno internacional que ganó en años recientes.

Image source: Wokandapix, Pixabay

A raíz de la reforma energética en 2013, la expansión de la industria del gas y del petróleo ha crecido rápidamente. La primera ronda de licitaciones para el arrendamiento de petróleo en aguas profundas mexicanas terminó en diciembre, marcando el inicio para una serie de compañías privadas como:  ExxonMobil y Chevron, por primera vez desde […]

By Drew Nelson

A raíz de la reforma energética en 2013, la expansión de la industria del gas y del petróleo ha crecido rápidamente. La primera ronda de licitaciones para el arrendamiento de petróleo en aguas profundas mexicanas terminó en diciembre, marcando el inicio para una serie de compañías privadas como:  ExxonMobil y Chevron, por primera vez desde los años treinta. Durante este año se planean arrendamientos adicionales de lugares que se convertirán en nichos para actividades petroleras y de gas, tanto en tierra como mar adentro.

Todo esto sucede mientras México demuestra un notable clima de liderazgo, y mientras los países y las compañías del sector energético alrededor del mundo empiezan a actuar para controlar las emisiones de metano, un contaminante sumamente dañino que en forma rutinaria escapa de la industria mundial del petróleo y el gas. En otras palabras, el auge energético no pudo suceder en un momento más crítico. México está clasificado como el quinto emisor de metano más grande del mundo. Con la ausencia de reglas sólidas para el desarrollo futuro, estas emisiones pueden aumentar a un ritmo constante conforme más producción de petróleo y gas entre en operación como resultado de la reforma energética.

Por otra parte, tener las reglas adecuadas en México antes de que suceda el auge energético tiene sentido – es más inteligente solicitar una industria limpia desde el inicio que tratar de limpiarla años después de su llegada. Al tomar México medidas ahora para implementar regulaciones sólidas que respalden el desarrollo responsable de la energía, ayudará a asegurar protecciones importantes para los ciudadanos y para la creciente economía.

La buena noticia es que las políticas para reducir el metano son increíblemente rentables, y muchas jurisdicciones ya han empezado a desarrollar e implementar regulaciones para encarar a este poderoso contaminante. El reciente progreso en California es un ejemplo de una de las mejores regulaciones para metano producido por petróleo y gas, y es una importante referencia ahora que México busca desarrollar regulaciones similares propias.

La prevención es la base de las Reglas para el Metano en California.

La semana pasada, California finalizó las regulaciones más sólidas en materia de gas y petróleo  para controlar la contaminación por metano en cualquier parte de los EE. UU. uniéndose a otros estados azules y rojos, que siguen actuando (ver aquí, aquí and aquí). Las nuevas reglas de California requieren que las compañías de petróleo y de gas reduzcan las emisiones tanto en las nuevas como en las viejas instalaciones en tierra y mar adentro, con lo cual, ahorrarán millones de dólares por la pérdida de gas cada año.  Esta es la primera gran regulación ambiental emitida desde el inicio del nuevo gobierno de EE.UU., y envía un claro mensaje de que los estados están trazando su propio futuro, mientras los líderes en Washington desmantelan la energía vital y las políticas ambientales que protegen a los estadounidenses.

Fue fundamental en la trayectoria del metano de California el incidente del Cañón Aliso,  una gran fuga de gas  en el Sur de California que llamó la atención mundialmente, ocasionada por una explosión en un pozo en el subsuelo profundo en una instalación de almacenamiento de gas natural. El desastre se convirtió en vivo ejemplo de lo mal que puede ponerse el problema del metano en la industria del petróleo y del gas cuando faltan normas para inspecciones de rutina contra fugas, para el mantenimiento de equipo y para la operación.  Caso concreto: los documentos demostraron que no fue requerida una inspección a las instalaciones para verificar el espesor del entubado o fugas de gas en la superficie aun cuando habían experimentado un creciente número de problemas en la integridad de la estructura en años recientes y era operado sin sistemas de contención secundarios.

El Cañón Aliso– y la respuesta de California a ello – constituyen un ejemplo para México. Es justamente el interés de México asegurar que todas las compañías de petróleo y gas que operan dentro de sus fronteras, cumplan con los mismos estándares ambientales requeridos en otros lugares. Sin políticas consistentes, las compañías pueden explotar las diferencias en las medidas de seguridad nacionales y subnacionales y lesionar la economía y a los ciudadanos mexicanos.

Metano: Un Contaminante Apremiante del Ambiente.

Para apreciar el significado de la situación de México, se tiene que considerar lo que ocurre alrededor del mundo con relación a la ciencia del clima y la política. En marzo, la Organización Meteorológica Mundial  publicó su Informe del Estado del Clima, y las noticias fueron alarmantes. La temperatura global volvió a romper récords otra vez en 2016, mientras se acelera el aumento del nivel del mar. WIRED Magazine concluyó, “hemos sobrepasado nuestro entendimiento del cambio climático y estamos parados verdaderamente en un, “terreno desconocido”.

También hay un mayor entendimiento del papel tan poderoso que juega el metano en el calentamiento global. El metano es un potente gas de efecto invernadero, 80 veces más dañino que el dióxido de carbono en los primeros 20 años en que se asienta en la atmósfera. Los científicos dicen que el metano representa alrededor del 25 por ciento del calentamiento actual y los niveles de emisión están alcanzando su máximo mundial. Globalmente, la industrial del petróleo y del gas está entre los más grandes emisores de metano, ya sea por liberaciones accidentales o intencionales.

Un científico climático de la Universidad Simon Fraser, en Canadá, lo explicó de manera simple: “Necesitamos mitigar ambos [metano y dióxido de carbono] tan pronto como sea posible. No hay soluciones intermedias .”

Esta urgencia tiene un lado positivo. Ya que el metano es tan potente, que reducirlo tendrá un rápido y poderoso impacto en el clima. Por ejemplo, cortar las emisiones mundiales de metano producidas por petróleo y gas en un 45 por ciento para el 2025, tendrá el mismo beneficio a corto plazo que cerrar un tercio de las plantas de carbón a nivel mundial. Además, los análisis han mostrado que reducir las emisiones de metano del sector petrolero y del gas puede conseguirse razonablemente con la tecnología existente.

El Auge de la Energía en México Será el Siguiente Gran Escenario para el Metano.

México ha sido un líder confiable y visible en el cambio climático – aún antes del compromiso del metano realizado el año pasado- y tiene una larga historia de trabajo con los líderes en California, en una gran variedad de iniciativas relacionadas con el medio ambiente y el clima.

Ahora, con el nuevo y sólido modelo para el metano en California, México tiene una gran oportunidad de potenciar su auge energético pendiente para ayudar, en vez de obstaculizar, sus esfuerzos para cumplir su compromiso internacional sobre el metano. Al establecer reglas justas y sensibles para su creciente industria energética, no sólo reforzará el impacto económico de este auge, sino que demostrará una vez más la buena fe en el entorno internacional que ganó en años recientes.

Image source: Wokandapix, Pixabay

By Drew Nelson

A raíz de la reforma energética en 2013, la expansión de la industria del gas y del petróleo ha crecido rápidamente. La primera ronda de licitaciones para el arrendamiento de petróleo en aguas profundas mexicanas terminó en diciembre, marcando el inicio para una serie de compañías privadas como:  ExxonMobil y Chevron, por primera vez desde los años treinta. Durante este año se planean arrendamientos adicionales de lugares que se convertirán en nichos para actividades petroleras y de gas, tanto en tierra como mar adentro.

Todo esto sucede mientras México demuestra un notable clima de liderazgo, y mientras los países y las compañías del sector energético alrededor del mundo empiezan a actuar para controlar las emisiones de metano, un contaminante sumamente dañino que en forma rutinaria escapa de la industria mundial del petróleo y el gas. En otras palabras, el auge energético no pudo suceder en un momento más crítico. México está clasificado como el quinto emisor de metano más grande del mundo. Con la ausencia de reglas sólidas para el desarrollo futuro, estas emisiones pueden aumentar a un ritmo constante conforme más producción de petróleo y gas entre en operación como resultado de la reforma energética.

Por otra parte, tener las reglas adecuadas en México antes de que suceda el auge energético tiene sentido – es más inteligente solicitar una industria limpia desde el inicio que tratar de limpiarla años después de su llegada. Al tomar México medidas ahora para implementar regulaciones sólidas que respalden el desarrollo responsable de la energía, ayudará a asegurar protecciones importantes para los ciudadanos y para la creciente economía.

La buena noticia es que las políticas para reducir el metano son increíblemente rentables, y muchas jurisdicciones ya han empezado a desarrollar e implementar regulaciones para encarar a este poderoso contaminante. El reciente progreso en California es un ejemplo de una de las mejores regulaciones para metano producido por petróleo y gas, y es una importante referencia ahora que México busca desarrollar regulaciones similares propias.

La prevención es la base de las Reglas para el Metano en California.

La semana pasada, California finalizó las regulaciones más sólidas en materia de gas y petróleo  para controlar la contaminación por metano en cualquier parte de los EE. UU. uniéndose a otros estados azules y rojos, que siguen actuando (ver aquí, aquí and aquí). Las nuevas reglas de California requieren que las compañías de petróleo y de gas reduzcan las emisiones tanto en las nuevas como en las viejas instalaciones en tierra y mar adentro, con lo cual, ahorrarán millones de dólares por la pérdida de gas cada año.  Esta es la primera gran regulación ambiental emitida desde el inicio del nuevo gobierno de EE.UU., y envía un claro mensaje de que los estados están trazando su propio futuro, mientras los líderes en Washington desmantelan la energía vital y las políticas ambientales que protegen a los estadounidenses.

Fue fundamental en la trayectoria del metano de California el incidente del Cañón Aliso,  una gran fuga de gas  en el Sur de California que llamó la atención mundialmente, ocasionada por una explosión en un pozo en el subsuelo profundo en una instalación de almacenamiento de gas natural. El desastre se convirtió en vivo ejemplo de lo mal que puede ponerse el problema del metano en la industria del petróleo y del gas cuando faltan normas para inspecciones de rutina contra fugas, para el mantenimiento de equipo y para la operación.  Caso concreto: los documentos demostraron que no fue requerida una inspección a las instalaciones para verificar el espesor del entubado o fugas de gas en la superficie aun cuando habían experimentado un creciente número de problemas en la integridad de la estructura en años recientes y era operado sin sistemas de contención secundarios.

El Cañón Aliso– y la respuesta de California a ello – constituyen un ejemplo para México. Es justamente el interés de México asegurar que todas las compañías de petróleo y gas que operan dentro de sus fronteras, cumplan con los mismos estándares ambientales requeridos en otros lugares. Sin políticas consistentes, las compañías pueden explotar las diferencias en las medidas de seguridad nacionales y subnacionales y lesionar la economía y a los ciudadanos mexicanos.

Metano: Un Contaminante Apremiante del Ambiente.

Para apreciar el significado de la situación de México, se tiene que considerar lo que ocurre alrededor del mundo con relación a la ciencia del clima y la política. En marzo, la Organización Meteorológica Mundial  publicó su Informe del Estado del Clima, y las noticias fueron alarmantes. La temperatura global volvió a romper récords otra vez en 2016, mientras se acelera el aumento del nivel del mar. WIRED Magazine concluyó, “hemos sobrepasado nuestro entendimiento del cambio climático y estamos parados verdaderamente en un, “terreno desconocido”.

También hay un mayor entendimiento del papel tan poderoso que juega el metano en el calentamiento global. El metano es un potente gas de efecto invernadero, 80 veces más dañino que el dióxido de carbono en los primeros 20 años en que se asienta en la atmósfera. Los científicos dicen que el metano representa alrededor del 25 por ciento del calentamiento actual y los niveles de emisión están alcanzando su máximo mundial. Globalmente, la industrial del petróleo y del gas está entre los más grandes emisores de metano, ya sea por liberaciones accidentales o intencionales.

Un científico climático de la Universidad Simon Fraser, en Canadá, lo explicó de manera simple: “Necesitamos mitigar ambos [metano y dióxido de carbono] tan pronto como sea posible. No hay soluciones intermedias .”

Esta urgencia tiene un lado positivo. Ya que el metano es tan potente, que reducirlo tendrá un rápido y poderoso impacto en el clima. Por ejemplo, cortar las emisiones mundiales de metano producidas por petróleo y gas en un 45 por ciento para el 2025, tendrá el mismo beneficio a corto plazo que cerrar un tercio de las plantas de carbón a nivel mundial. Además, los análisis han mostrado que reducir las emisiones de metano del sector petrolero y del gas puede conseguirse razonablemente con la tecnología existente.

El Auge de la Energía en México Será el Siguiente Gran Escenario para el Metano.

México ha sido un líder confiable y visible en el cambio climático – aún antes del compromiso del metano realizado el año pasado- y tiene una larga historia de trabajo con los líderes en California, en una gran variedad de iniciativas relacionadas con el medio ambiente y el clima.

Ahora, con el nuevo y sólido modelo para el metano en California, México tiene una gran oportunidad de potenciar su auge energético pendiente para ayudar, en vez de obstaculizar, sus esfuerzos para cumplir su compromiso internacional sobre el metano. Al establecer reglas justas y sensibles para su creciente industria energética, no sólo reforzará el impacto económico de este auge, sino que demostrará una vez más la buena fe en el entorno internacional que ganó en años recientes.

Image source: Wokandapix, Pixabay