Apr 30, 2016 2 min read

“Reducing methane emissions makes sense,” the Observer-Reporter’s April 19 editorial, correctly states Pennsylvania can’t wait to take on the climate challenges we face today. It points to economic reasons that clear and enforceable methane pollution limits have been successful in other states, and that voluntary measures alone have cut emissions by 11 percent. Mandatory limits would level the playing field, and would slash total methane pollution.

All those things are true, but they miss another key point: ethics.

We are harming our air and our atmosphere by knowingly allowing methane to escape. We are harming vulnerable people. Pollutants that escape with methane hurt the lungs of the young and old, as do emissions from compressor stations and processing facilities. The ways in which we are harming the climate are hurting people in countries that have had the least to do with those emissions, and have not benefitted.

We all know the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. No boom-and-bust economy is worth profligate waste that steals health and safety from some right now, and stability from the next generation. Pennsylvania deserves a steady economy, based on honest work, that stewards our resources, and we can have one.

We need to start with the kinds of commonsense limits laid out in the editorial: established procedures for leak detection and repair, up-to-date equipment, good record-keeping, and regular inspections.

We also need to recognize that infrastructure investment is a covenant with the future. We need to stop investing in the fossil-fueled past. Repair, tighten, and inspect what we have to steward the transitional fuel and protect our sweet air. Invest in a resilient modern electricity grid, in electricity storage, and clean-energy generation. Honor Article 1, section 27 of Pennsylvania’s Constitution. Covenant with the future we want. It’s not far away.

Cricket Eccleston Hunter

State College

Cricket Eccleston Hunter is the director of programs and outreach for the advocacy group Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light.