The annual US health cost of oil and gas production is $77B – here’s how we fix that
The US oil and gas sector was responsible for $77 billion in total health impacts in 2016, according to a newly released study.
Few studies have measured the effects of oil and gas production – not even factoring in actual fossil fuel usage – on air quality, human health, and health costs, but this new study does.
The study is called “Air pollution and health impacts of oil & gas production in the United States.” It was published in the journal Environmental Research: Health and was led by the Boston University School of Public Health, the University of North Carolina Institute for the Environment, PSE Healthy Energy, and the Environmental Defense Fund.
The researchers examined air quality and human health impacts associated with ozone, fine particulate matter, and nitrogen dioxide from the US oil and gas sector in 2016. They compared that impact with that of the associated methane emissions.
The study’s abstract states:
We find that air pollution in 2016 from the oil and gas sector in the US resulted in 410,000 asthma exacerbations, 2,200 new cases of childhood asthma, and 7,500 excess deaths, with $77 billion in total health impacts. NO2 [nitrogen dioxide] was the highest contributor to health impacts (37%) followed by ozone (35%), and then PM2.5 [fine particulate matter] (28%).
When monetized, these air quality health impacts of oil and gas production exceeded estimated climate impact costs from methane leakage by a factor of 3.
Impacts were largely concentrated in areas with significant oil and gas production, such as southwestern Pennsylvania, Texas, and eastern Colorado. But the health effects also extended into densely populated cities with little or no gas activity, such as Chicago, New York City, Baltimore, Washington, DC, and Orlando.
The five states with the highest impacts from oil and gas pollution – all have significant oil and gas activity – were Texas, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. However, Illinois and New York – states that produce very little oil and gas – still landed in the sixth and eighth spots. Pollution doesn’t respect state borders.
Saravanan Arunachalam, research professor at University of North Carolina Institute for the Environment, said:
States that have the highest emissions are not necessarily always the ones with the highest health risk due to these emissions, although Texas ranks first in both.
Texas is No. 1 in both wind and solar production – but the Texas legislature is determined to choke its thriving renewable energy sector and subsidize fossil fuels with new bills that were recently approved by its state senate. These bills will pass because the governor of Texas staunchly backs fossil fuels. And that’s going to guarantee higher energy bills for consumers and increase emissions from natural gas use. (And it was mostly natural gas that failed during Texas’ big outage in winter 2021.)
The direction that Texas is headed is not a direction any legislature should take. Every US state should be working to reduce emissions by switching to renewables in order to protect people and the environment. The study results suggest that emissions reduction policies for oil and gas, such as the forthcoming Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methane regulations, may produce immediate and significant air quality benefits for both human health and the climate.
Study co-author Ananya Roy, senior health scientist at Environmental Defense Fund, said:
Curbing oil and gas emissions is one of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to reduce methane and other air pollutants, which improves air quality, protects public health and slows climate change.
It’s critical that the US EPA strengthen and finalize its proposed oil and gas methane rules as quickly as possible.
These proposed rules should build from leading state approaches in Colorado and New Mexico and go further to end pollution from the practice of routine flaring.
Read more: A dramatic new EPA rule will force up to 60% of new US car sales to be EVs in just 7 years
Photo: Juan Mt on Pexels.com
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Executives from TravelCenters America (TA) and BP were joined by local elected officials at a ribbon cutting for the two companies’ first DC fast charging hub on I-95 in Jacksonville, Florida – the first of several such EV charging stations to come online.
Frequent road-trippers are no doubt familiar with TA’s red, white, and blue logo and probably think of the sites as safe, convenient stops in otherwise unfamiliar surroundings. The company hopes those positive associations will carry over as its customers continue to switch from gas to electric at a record pace in 2025 and beyond.
“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey to bring new forms of energy to our customers as we support their changing mobility needs, while leveraging the best of bp and TA,” explains Debi Boffa, CEO of TravelCenters of America. Boffa, however, was quick to – but TA is quick to point out that TA isn’ no’t leaving its ICE customers behind. “While this is significant, to our loyal customers and guests, rest assured TA will continue to provide the same safe and reliable fueling options it has offered for over 50 years, regardless of the type of fuel.”
The charging hub along the I-95 offers 12 DC fast charging ports offering up to 400kW of power for lickety-quick charging. While they’re at the TA, EV drivers can visit restrooms, shop at TA’s convenience store, or eat at fast food chains like Popeyes and Subway. Other TA centers offer wifi and pet-friendly amenities as well – making them ideal partners for BP as the two companies builds out their charging networks.
“As we expand our EV charging network in the US, I am thrilled to unveil our first of many hubs at TA locations,” offers Sujay Sharma, CEO of BP Pulse Americas. “These sites are strategically located across key highway corridors that provide our customers with en route charging when and where they need it most, while offering convenient amenities, like restaurants and restrooms.”
Electrek’s Take
As I type this, BP has more than 37,000 EV charging ports operational globally, and plans to have more than 100,000 in service by 2030. The company made headlines in 2022 when it announced that its EV chargers were “on the cusp” of being more profitable than its gas pumps. Three years on, it seems like that’s a done deal.
As ever, money talks.
SOURCE | IMAGES: BP.
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The new e2500-THL and TS electric Ultra Buggies from Toro offer construction and demo crews a carrying capacity of 2500 lbs. (on the TS model), six-and-a-half foot dump height (on the THL), nearly 13 cubic ft. of capacity, and hours of quiet, fume-free operation.
Despite the second Trump administration’s loosening grip on emissions regulations, the fact remains that a growing number of municipalities in both red and blue regions of the US are continuing to clamp down on noise regulations, which means that construction crews with quiet running electric equipment will be able to get jobs that crews stubbornly holding on to diesel and gas won’t. Toro absolutely gets it, which is why its e2500-THL and TS Ultra Buggy line will be welcomed by smart crews with open arms.
For their open-mindedness, those crews will be rewarded with machines powered by 7 kWh’s worth of Toro HyperCell lithium-ion battery. That’s good enough for up to eight hours of continuous operation, according to Toro – enough for two typical working shifts.
And, thanks to the Toro Ultra Buggies’ narrow, 31.5″ width, they can easily navigate man doors on inside jobs, as well, making them ideal for indoor demolition and construction jobs. A zero-turn radius and auto-return dump mechanism that ensures the tub automatically returns to the proper resting position make things easy for the operator, too.
Toro says that each of its small (for Toro) e2500 Ultra Buggy units can replace as many as five wheelbarrows on a given job site. Pricing is expected to start at about $32,000.
Electrek’s Take
Electric equipment makes job sites cleaner, quieter, and safer than they are under diesel or gas power – and as more municipal and private sector RFPs begin to enforce ZEV requirements and quiet hours, more and more viable electric alternatives to ICE power will start to show up on more and more job sites (regardless of who is in the White House).
SOURCE | IMAGES: Toro, via Construction Equipment.
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