Apr 25, 2017 2 min read

The natural gas industry can no longer claim to be a victim, as we are hearing about an ever-increasing amount of new drilling being pushed forward in communities across Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Recently I attended a rally in Penn Township with a group of moms and their kids voicing their concerns, with good reason, at the prospect of their community being subjected to fracking on 60 percent of its land.

As a nurse, I am well aware of the health effects of natural gas drilling. Methane emissions that are leaked into our air contribute to damaging ozone pollution that can exacerbate asthma in children and the elderly, and put those with lung and heart ailments at risk. Fracking is a heavy industrial activity and by no means benign.

Gov. Tom Wolf is on record as wanting to balance energy development with environmental protections, and to that end, he made a promise to the people of Pennsylvania when he announced a four-point plan in January 2016 to cut methane pollution from oil and gas operations. Nearly a year-and-a-half later, we are waiting for him to honor that promise.

When moms, nurses, doctors, and other concerned citizens call for much-needed rules to protect the health of their families and communities, it is time for our government to listen.

Laura Dagley

Pittsburgh

Dagley is the medical outreach coordinator for the Southwest Pennsylvania Environmental Health Project.