Massive US Methane Flare Offs: Linked to Dermatological Problems, Spontaneous Abortion and Cancers
as well as acid rain and destruction of vegetation, animal life, water and soil. A review of the scientific evidence can be found here. This evidence isn't found on the EPA website but the link cites Canadian sources based on their experiences with flare-offs that are smaller than the U.S. variety.
The largest methane flare-off in the world is so big that it can be seen from outer space as noted in a recent DU article.
This flare-off is produced by 500 companies in the Bakken fracking fields of North Dakota that obtained EPA permissions to burn off the methane for one year with the possibility of renewal. The EPA should not have given them permission to do that for the following reasons as referencesd in this article.
First, Alaska requested similar EPA permissions that were rejected in the 1990s. The Alaskan oil companies were forced to pump the methane and other valuable resources back into the ground. They companies still made a profit and drilled. Similarly, it's still profitable if the Bakken field companies were forced to recapture the methane and other valuable chemicals. The only problem is it isn't as profitable.
Second, plans are for the huge field to grow ten times in size so this problem isn't going away, it's just going to keep getting worse.
Third, the corporations don't end paying for all the damage they cause.
Fourth, global warming is effecting our economy in the U.S. and endangering our natural resources now. We simply can't afford the toll on our economy, our health or our long term natural resources. It's estimated we lose 160,000 lives annually as a result of pollution. We don't need to lose any more.
Fifth, global warming is an even bigger disaster internationally and we reduce what little is left of our moral authority and leverage when we ask other countries to stop polluting when we have a 15,000 square mile flare-off zone that produces roughly the same amount of light as what New York City produces and can be seen from outer space. It's estimated that five million lives were lost as a result of pollution in 2012 or approximately 40% of all deaths in the world.
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Because they're the job creators and the market rules. I stir up right wingers by saying that I care for their children's future even if they don't...
