In the midst of the debate about the environemntal impact of the natural-gas boom, unions and environmentalists agree on something: old, leaky pipelines, which put both the environment and public health in jeopardy, need to be repaired. Methane, which is leaking from the pipes, is a powerful greenhouse gas and can be explosive in high concentrations. "The Department of Transportation estimates that more than 30,000 miles of decades-old, decaying cast-iron pipe are still being used to deliver gas nationwide," Kevin Begos writes for The Associated Press.
This agreement between trade unions and environmentalists is notable, especially after a year of struggling to find balance between a need for jobs and the need for fossil fuel pollution reduction. "Some trade unions have supported the drilling boom, while some environmentalists have pushed for bans on the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, process," Begos writes. "To the extent we have a problem we can identify, it certainly makes sense to fix it," Delaware Riverkeeper Maya K. van Rossum wrote in an email. "I don't think that calling for the fix of existing leaky pipelines is contrary to a call for ending shale gas development or fracking."
In 2011, a cast-iron main installed 83 years before helped cause an explosion, killing five people and demolishing many homes in Allentown, Pa. No one is sure how much gas is leaking now, but old cast-iron pipe definitely poses a risk. Duke University scientist Rob Jackson, who has studied the issue, said fixing leaks "will save money and lives, improve air quality and health and slow climate change. What's not to like?"
"According to the Department of Transportation, New York City still uses about 3,000 miles of decades-old cast-iron pipe, Boston about 2,000 miles, Philadelphia about 1,500 miles and the District of Columbia 400 miles," Begos writes. "Experts say much of the old pipe dates to before World War II, and some of it may even be more than 100 years old." Last month U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., presented two bills about the pipeline repair, and a coalition of groups is backing them, but it's not yet certain how much support they have from Congress. (Read more)
This agreement between trade unions and environmentalists is notable, especially after a year of struggling to find balance between a need for jobs and the need for fossil fuel pollution reduction. "Some trade unions have supported the drilling boom, while some environmentalists have pushed for bans on the hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, process," Begos writes. "To the extent we have a problem we can identify, it certainly makes sense to fix it," Delaware Riverkeeper Maya K. van Rossum wrote in an email. "I don't think that calling for the fix of existing leaky pipelines is contrary to a call for ending shale gas development or fracking."
In 2011, a cast-iron main installed 83 years before helped cause an explosion, killing five people and demolishing many homes in Allentown, Pa. No one is sure how much gas is leaking now, but old cast-iron pipe definitely poses a risk. Duke University scientist Rob Jackson, who has studied the issue, said fixing leaks "will save money and lives, improve air quality and health and slow climate change. What's not to like?"
"According to the Department of Transportation, New York City still uses about 3,000 miles of decades-old cast-iron pipe, Boston about 2,000 miles, Philadelphia about 1,500 miles and the District of Columbia 400 miles," Begos writes. "Experts say much of the old pipe dates to before World War II, and some of it may even be more than 100 years old." Last month U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., presented two bills about the pipeline repair, and a coalition of groups is backing them, but it's not yet certain how much support they have from Congress. (Read more)
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