Oil and gas company is being forced to pay for air violations
Because of Utah’s notoriously weak regulations and oversight of large industries, our state has become a dumping ground for corporate pollution, namely from oil, gas and mining companies.
Luckily, we can look to federal regulations for some protection. The EPA recently stepped in to hold Ovintiv Inc. accountable for violating the Clean Air Act. The Salt Lake Tribune wrote that the company has violated the federal act and state regulations at 22 of its facilities in Utah.
Ovintiv Inc. is an oil and gas company that has been polluting the Uinta Basin. The Tribune reported that the company has to “pay a $5.5 million civil penalty, split evenly between Utah and the U.S., and make changes worth $10.7 million to get its emissions under control as part of a settlement agreement.” This website shows the CEO’s salary as over $11 million a year. The company is worth $11.37 BILLION.
The changes they are forced to make should dramatically decrease volatile organic compounds and methane in the area.
“A statewide poll published by the Utah Foundation on Tuesday, found that nearly 60% of Utah residents support stronger environmental regulations nationwide and that 88% agree that air pollution is a serious problem. A majority of respondents — 65% — said they felt they would experience health concerns due to air pollution over their lifetime,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported. Utah residents understand what’s at stake here. When will our state tighten regulations to protect us?