Many oil well operators simply burn off, or flare, excess gas. Some even vent it directly to the atmosphere. In addition to being an unnecessary waste, this air pollution contains hazardous air pollutants and volatile organic compounds can lead to respiratory disease and cancer.
For more information on the waste of gas through flaring, venting, and leaking, see the report, The Flaring Boom.
Below are stories about people impacted by air pollution from oil and gas development.
More than a Decade later, Pavillion Residents Continue to Face Complications due to Contaminated Water - Jeff and Rhonda Locker look out across a cut alfalfa field. Newly cut rows of alfalfa stretch into the distance. Clean mountain air blows down… 
From Homesteads to National Parks, unchecked Oil and Gas development threatens North Dakota - The west brought the Ashleys a sense of solitude and freedom, however, the peace they once knew has since been disrupted by an oil well that was put in at the base of their driveway. 
Colorado Community Members use their Voices to Protect the Health and Safety of their Community - Battlement Mesa Prepares for a Continued Fight for Safer Drilling Practices When Bonnie Smeltzer moved to Battlement Mesa in 2002 at the age of 74,… 
Bonding Crisis Looms in Colorado as Gas Prices Tip Into the Red - Residents of Battlement Mesa and Rifle, Colorado, are on the verge of seeing gas companies abandoning their wells and leaving taxpayers to clean up the… Continue reading → Bonding Crisis Looms in Colorado as Gas Prices Tip Into the Red
Fighting for Clean Air in North Dakota - Joletta Bird Bear and Fort Berthold POWER Still Have a Long Way to Go to Get Clean Air on the Reservation. Flares danced all the… 
Working for Clean Desert Air - “My name is Kristin Winn. I live in Grand Junction Colorado. I have lived here for about 22 years. I grew up in Chicago where… 
Forging Allyships in a Time of Adversity - I’m Wayne Lax from, originally, Detroit, Michigan. We moved to Wyoming in 1999 and have been here ever since. We had no knowledge or background… 
The Real Cost of Extractive Economies on Communities - “My name is Lowell Lewis, I’m going to be 70 this year. My wife, son and I moved here from Connecticut in 1985, and we’ve… Continue reading → The Real Cost of Extractive Economies on Communities
Oil and Gas Development’s Impact on Fort Berthold - My name is Thomas Abe and I live on Fort Berthold and am an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes. I am an instructor at Nueta… Continue reading → Oil and Gas Development’s Impact on Fort Berthold
Reducing Emissions and Wasted Natural Gas With the BLM Methane Waste Rule - Don Schreiber has been a vocal advocate for the BLM methane waste rule, a safeguard aimed at reducing emissions and reduced wasted natural gas from… Continue reading → Reducing Emissions and Wasted Natural Gas With the BLM Methane Waste Rule