Pennsylvanians across the State Send Message to Gov. Wolf in New Ad Campaign: Secure Your Climate Legacy and Close Loopholes in Oil and Gas Pollution Rule

(HARRISBURG, Pa. – April 20, 2021) Today, EDF Action, the advocacy partner of the Environmental Defense Fund, partnered with a diverse coalition of Pennsylvania groups on an ad campaign calling on Gov. Tom Wolf to secure his climate legacy by closing the loopholes in his draft oil and gas air and methane pollution rule. The ad sponsors include the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship, Moms Clean Air Force, Evangelical Environmental Network and Vet Voice Foundation.

The ad campaign will run on morning TV programs including Fox29’s “Good Day Philadelphia” and CBS KDKA’s “Morning News” in Pittsburgh as well as CBS Philly and the “KDKA Radio Morning Show” in Pittsburgh. The ads will also run on digital platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube later this week. The ad makes clear that Pennsylvanians across the state are harmed by unchecked methane emissions – a powerful climate change pollutant. It shows the urgency with which we must act now to protect our families and our future.

The ad features Pennsylvanians from across the state including a veteran, farmer, faith leader, doctor and mother, and outdoor recreationist.

Watch the TV ad here.

“During his two election campaigns, Governor Wolf pledged bold action on methane pollution from the oil and gas sector, and Pennsylvanians applauded him for that,” said Dan Grossman, Senior Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs for EDF Action. “Now we are calling on the Governor to make good on his promises and close the loopholes in his proposal that would leave more than half of the state’s methane emissions unchecked. Strong methane rules are critical to Governor Wolf’s climate legacy and his administration must act to close the loopholes in the draft rule now.”

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for about 25 percent of the climate change occurring today. Pennsylvania is the nation’s second-largest natural gas producer, and the oil and gas industry is responsible for an estimated 1.1 million tons of methane pollution annually. That is double the climate pollution impact of all the cars in Pennsylvania combined.

The governor’s draft rule currently exempts leak detection and repair requirements for low-producing wells that are responsible for more than half of the methane pollution from oil and gas sources in Pennsylvania.