Letter to Marie Therese Dominguez, Administrator Departartment of Transportation - Less Toxic Gas Additives

Letter

Dear Administrator Dominguez,

My congressional district has just experienced the largest known natural gas leak in the history of our country. The ongoing gas leak includes not only methane and volatile organic compounds, but methanethiol (commonly known as mercaptan).

Over 4,000 families have been evacuated for periods of many months.

A significant portion of the health problems experienced to date have been caused by mercaptan. Mercaptan has many benefits including its detectability by the human nose at very low concentrations, and the fact that it does not interfere with the clean and efficient use of natural gas. However the experience of the Porter Ranch community demonstrates that when exposure is prolonged, mercaptan has toxic effects.

At a meeting with senior officials of your agency on January 16, 2016, I was informed that PHMSA already administers existing research grant programs. I hope you will use your existing research grant programs to focus on the development of an additive to natural gas that has all the benefits of mercaptan without the harmful effects.

Source