Community Health Impacts From Natural Gas Pipeline Compressor Stations

Abstract

Compressor stations maintain pressure along natural gas pipelines to sustain gas flow. Unfortunately, they present human health concerns as they release chemical pollutants into the air, sometimes at levels higher than national air quality standards. Further, compressor stations are often placed in rural areas with higher levels of poverty and/or minority populations, contributing to environmental justice concerns. In this paper we investigate what chemical pollutants are emitted by compressor stations, the impacts of emitted pollutants on human health, and local community impacts. Based on the information gained from these examinations, we provide the following policy recommendations with the goal of minimizing harm to those affected by natural gas compressor stations: the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and relevant state agencies must increase air quality monitoring and data transparency; the EPA should direct more resources to monitoring programs specifically at compressor stations; the EPA should provide free indoor air quality monitoring to homes near compressor stations; the EPA needs to adjust its National Ambient Air Quality Standards to better protect communities and assess cumulative impacts; and decision-makers at all levels must pursue meaningful involvement from potentially affected communities. We find there is substantial evidence of negative impacts to strongly support these recommendations.Plain Language SummaryCompressor stations allow natural gas to run smoothly through long pipelines. Compressor stations release several different types of pollutants; we discuss in this paper what each pollutant does to the human body and to communities as a whole. Compressor stations are often near socially vulnerable communities that are poor, non-white, or elderly, which means they more often bear the burden of the pollution. We examine the shortcomings of current policies and regulations surrounding compressor stations and offer solutions to help protect vulnerable communities. Some of these solutions include better testing of air quality near compressor stations, free indoor air quality testing in homes near compressor stations, and better air quality standards to protect all communities from air pollution.Key PointsThe impacts of compressor stations fall most heavily on the local communities around the stations, which are often socially vulnerableThe current National Ambient Air Quality Standards are not sufficient to fully protect human health and vulnerable communitiesThere is a severe need for more thorough air quality monitoring to understand the full impact of chemical emissions on community health