Sister Odile Coirier of El Paso Testifies at EPA Hearing
“…after visiting the Permian Basin a few weeks ago and seeing methane pollution from a special camera, I cannot stop thinking that methane pollution and air pollution do not have boundaries. The Permian Basin is a methane hotspot.”
My name is Odile Coirier. I am a catholic sister, member of the Institute of the Franciscan Missionary of Mary. I am also a member of Interfaith Power and light in New Mexico. I live in El Paso, Texas, and have visited the Permian Basin where there are a number of Catholic parishes in the diocese.
As a member of a faith based group, I believe that every human being has the right to live in a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and also has the duty to protect the environment. We have created a disruptive climate, we are depleting the natural resources, This wonderful planet has become in some part a wasteland. Our work is inspired by the powerful document of Pope Francis on care for our common home that is God’s creation. The time is now to address the ecological problems for us and the next generations to come. Pope Francis said: (and I quote)
“Climate change is a global problem with grave implications… some forms of pollution are part of people’s daily experience. Exposure to atmospheric pollutants produces a broad spectrum of health hazards, especially for the poor and causes millions of premature deaths…there is also pollution that affects everyone caused by transport and industrial fumes .. Human beings are creatures of this world enjoying a right to life and happiness and endowed with unique dignity. So we cannot fail to consider the effects on people’s lives of environmental deterioration, current models of development and the throwaway culture“. (end of quotation)
Living in the Southwest for some years, it is very troubling to experience the disruption of climate leading to frequent heat waves, the bad smell early in the morning while we go for a walk. Our area is polluted by smog that affects daily the health of people and mostly the most vulnerable. It is well known that the air in El Paso is not actually safe as reported by the American Lung Association and affects particularly children, seniors and individuals with respiratory conditions, who are the most sensitive to smog pollution.
There are many sources for our pollution including industrial facilities like the Western Refining , the Newman Power Station and Capitan Compressor Station. But after visiting the Permian Basin a few weeks ago and seeing methane pollution from a special camera, I cannot stop thinking that methane pollution and air pollution do not have boundaries. The Permian Basin is a methane hotspot.
As a Franciscan sister, I am very concerned about all brothers and sisters and God’s creation. A number of our Catholic parishes are in the Permian Basin so they have very direct pollution and climate change is affecting us all.
Texas is the largest producer of oil and gas in the U.S., producing over 30 percent of U.S. domestic production. Consequently, this means that a significant portion of methane pollution is coming from Texas, oil and gas development.
More regulations are needed to ensure that industries take seriously their moral responsibility to act with integrity and accountability. They need to retrofit equipment to capture methane and there need to be enforceable rules with oversight.
Action must be taken now to strengthen oil and gas rules. Strong federal safeguards are essential for protecting the health and safety of our communities as well as to combat climate change. The EPA’s first plan to regulate pollution under Obama administration should be reinforced and strengthened to address more efficiently the harmful greenhouse gas emissions that continue to affect our communities.
I speak for those who are living in this region because I am deeply concerned. Life is precious, our environment is precious. “We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors; we borrow it from our Children”. Thank you!