Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports: Patrick McDonnell, the acting state secretary of environmental protection, put it plainly in a 2016 news release, when he said, “Overall, our air quality continues to improve.” The release included figures showing that, from 2012 to 2014, the number of drilling sites monitored by DEP increased by more than 11.7 percent, while the total methane emissions from those sites decreased by more than 11.6 percent. Tighter monitoring found a decrease in methane leaks. The current system of monitoring and regulating methane emissions includes four recent actions by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, and it clearly is working. The increased use of natural gas in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States is making our local communities’ air cleaner, establishing America as a world leader in global carbon-emission reduction and creating jobs in our region in ways we haven’t seen in a generation. That is why the Legislature must pass the Keeping Pennsylvania Competitive Act. For more visit post-gazette.com or click the following link http://bit.ly/2ks13Ll