News from August
Howdy, yall! Let’s get right to the bottom line.
“The bottom line on this whole thing is it doesn’t matter how many thermographers we have, boots on the ground, satellites flying in the air, people with drones and airplanes and all the other technology, none of it matters if you don’t stop methane,” Wilson said. “None of it counts.”
Our Work in the Media
We had a great month of getting the word out and helping make the invisible oil and gas pollution visible.
In June we took a Swiss TV crew out in the field which resulted in an hour-long documentary which features Sharon and OGI camera images from Texas.
Bloomberg covered the Craddicks and political power in Texas and included Sharon’s analysis.
“The Railroad Commission, they’re AWOL,” Wilson says. “Their biggest bragging point is they can issue a permit to drill within 24 hours.”
Grist wrote about the use of methane satellites and included the quote from Sharon at the top of this newsletter.
Podcasts
Fully Charged is a long-running clean energy podcast with over one million subscribers. Sharon spent an hour talking to Robert about the methane emergency and oil and gas production.
Oilfield Witness Observations
We dug into more of the details of why we must work to keep oil and gas in the ground.
Jack wrote about the details of oil and gas permitting and explains how “This system of pollution permitting further confirms the main fieldwork conclusion of Oilfield Witness: oil and gas extraction necessitates pollution.”
Sharon explained how regulations and satellites are being used as delay tactics to allow oil and gas methane pollution to continue.
Fieldwork/Organizing Update
Sharon worked with Livable Arlington on a tour for Tarrant County Precinct 2 Commissioner Alissa Simmons where the commissioner was able to see the emissions from a compressor station through the lens of an OGI camera.
Miguel was in the Permian in August meeting with residents about air pollution and supporting the Pollution Protection campaign.
- Till the end of oil
The Oilfield Witness Team