As Christians, we believe God desires for us to live life to the fullest (John 10:10); therefore, we are passionate about defending the health and wellbeing of all of God’s children. 

The oil and gas industry leaks methane, along with other toxic pollutants and cancer-causing agents like benzene, into our air and water at alarming rates. These pollutants have negative health impacts on those who live, work, go to school, and play nearby, and have a disproportionately strong effect on life in the womb. For those near oil and gas production sites,  emissions have been linked to birth defects, preterm births, and low-birth-weight babies, who are at greater risk of infant mortality, ADHD, asthma, and more, making cutting methane pollution truly a matter of life.

Additionally, methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas that is 86 times stronger than CO2 at trapping heat over a 20-year timeframe. This is crucial, because it is the next 10-20 years that will determine whether we keep the world safe from increasingly catastrophic climate impacts.

Last December, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized safeguards on wasteful and dangerous methane emissions that will cut climate-warming pollution and other toxics that harm the health of Louisianians, especially children.

Now, Louisiana must update its state oil and gas industry air quality standards to align with the EPA’s through a process called a State Implementation Plan (SIP). It is crucial that the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) develops a strong SIP that ensures the new methane standards defend the health and lives of everyone in the state.

Recently, 17,462 pro-life Christians in Louisiana joined with EEN Action in signing a petition urging the LDEQ to defend the lives of Louisiana’s children by cutting wasteful methane emissions and associated toxic pollution with a strong State Implementation Plan.

EEN Action urges the LDEQ to take the requests of these more than 17,000 pro-life Louisianans into consideration as it develops the SIP for the Methane Supplemental Rule in Louisiana. The health of our children, our communities, and our climate depend on it.

Petition Language:

As a pro-life Louisianian committed to defending life from all harms, it’s far past time to cut wasteful methane emissions and associated toxic pollution that risk the health of Louisiana's children, waste our precious natural resources, and supercharge hurricanes and other unnatural climate disasters which devastate our communities and drive up home insurance costs.

That’s why I’m grateful for the new methane pollution safeguards finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency. Cutting methane pollution is the fastest way to safeguard our health, address climate-fueled extreme weather, and strengthen our economy by bringing more gas to market. We need the Department of Environmental Quality to start designing a strong State Implementation Plan (SIP) now to ensure Louisiana receives these life-changing benefits without delay.

Now is the time for Louisiana to start designing the strongest possible SIP to cut wasteful methane pollution, boost our economy, and defend our children’s health.