The Justice Department reached multimillion-dollar settlements in three major lawsuits against US oil and gas companies Thursday that it says will reduce air pollution and planet-warming gas emissions in more than a dozen states and territories across the country.
The settlements aim to resolve claims that several large companies were using faulty equipment to manufacture and refine natural gas, failed to control leaks and allowed hazardous air pollution to seep into the atmosphere in violation of the Clean Air Act standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Each settlement is still subject to approval by a federal judge and will undergo a 30-day public comment period.
As part of the settlements, the companies will spend approximately $16 million combined on repairs, upgrades and other ways to fix the problems, according to the department. The details of the settlements were shared first with CNN.
The agreements are a major move in the Justice Department’s effort to prioritize mitigation efforts as part of environmental lawsuits related to the climate crisis – and signal a willingness to target large fossil fuel companies.
The department has undertaken an environmental justice effort to involve communities impacted by the climate crisis in understanding how company practices are contributing to the harmful personal effects of climate change.
More than 40% of Americans live in areas with unhealthy air quality, according to the American Lung Association, and low-income communities and communities of color face disproportionate risks from pollution and the impacts of the climate crisis, scientists and health experts have reported.
“Having these Clean Air Act rules on the books, having state leak detection rules on the books, and actually enforcing this is sending a message to this entire industry that this matters,…
Read the full article here