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Deregulating industry not in the best interest of our environment

Lisa DeVille

Mandaree

The public comment period for Trumps’ Executive Order 13777, “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,” regulations that may be appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification, ended May 15, 2017.

We live on Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, since 2008 our land has been fracked and oil has been extracted with detrimental effects that we were not prepared for. The oil industry has caused devastating effects to the land, air, and water. Our water has been used to frack over 1500 wells, our sky is lit up by 50 foot flares, and we have experienced numerous contaminating produced water-or brine-and oil spills almost daily.

The Environmental Protection Agency has taken years to implement environmental safeguards that protect our land, air, and water at the minimum. We need to know that we will continue to have laws in place that will ensure our right to safe drinking water, clean air, and rich land.

Deregulating industry is not in the best interest of our environment or public health. We understand the extreme need for environmental protections now that we live with oil and gas.

These rules, among others, have a clear impact in my community and must not be weakened or rescinded:

Toxic Wastewater Protections – Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of toxic water pollution in the United States, dumping billions of pounds of pollution into America’s rivers, streams, and lakes each year. These pollutants, including lead and mercury can be dangerous to humans and wreak havoc in our watersheds even in very small amounts. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule that will reduce the discharge of toxic pollutants into America’s waterways from steam electric power plants by 1.4 billion pounds annually, as well as reduce water withdrawal by 57 billion gallons per year, resulting in an estimated benefit of $463 million per year to Americans across the country and cleaner safer water.

Clean Water Protections- For over a decade, conflicting Supreme Court decisions have caused confusion over which waterways are covered by protections of the Clean Water Act–causing millions of stream miles and acres of wetlands to be at risk of pollution and destruction potentially jeopardizing safe drinking water. However. the Obama Administration put in place safeguards to restore the Clean Water Act, protecting streams and wetlands from pollution throughout the country. Furthermore, these standards help to protect the drinking water for 1 out of 3 Americans, preserve fish and wildlife habitat, and reduce the risk of flooding.

Clean Air Protections – The EPA must ensure that air quality standards reflect the current body of scientific and medical research. These data clearly indicate that smog pollution limits should be set at 70 ppb (or lower), that we must aggressively cut carbon pollution, and limit air toxics like mercury and acid gases that power plants emit.

Visibility Protections – The EPA’s regional haze rule works to reduce the visible and toxic haze that is present in national parks and wilderness areas for much of the year by reducing ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon dioxide, mercury, and other toxic gas particulates. The rule not only protects public health; it also ensures that our national parks and special places have clearer air free from haze and smog improving the stunning vistas that draw the public to these cherished places.

Safeguarding Communities During Startup, Shutdown, and Malfunction – EPA must ensure that that states have plans in strong place to address unrestricted emission of toxic pollution during startup, shutdown, and malfunction periods at emitting facilities and limit the serious health effects in neighboring or downwind communities.

DeVille is president of Fort Berthold POWER

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