Noise pollution at oil and gas sites remains “woefully under-studied contrary to its public health significance,” according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Environmental noise caused by oil and gas drilling activities is often overlooked entirely or rejected as a minor, temporary nuisance by industry and regulators, despite the fact that drilling and other activities at well sites are very noisy and can be close to homes, according to the NRDC.

A group of national and regional environmental organizations has  sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry urging the State Department to be thorough in its review process of the proposed Alberta Clipper expansion by evaluating the cumulative climate impacts of this project along with the proposed Keystone XL pipeline and other foreseeable tar sands pipeline proposals.

The Obama administration’s withdrawal last week of two pending EPA proposals that would have helped inform the public about potentially dangerous chemicals showed showed that it was catering to the interests of the chemical industry, according to the National Resources Defence Council (NRDC). The group said the move undermines public health efforts.