Methane waste from oil and gas fields far exceeds federal estimates

The country’s biggest oil and gas basins emit four times more methane than estimates by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to new research by the Environmental Defense Fund. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with about 80 times the heat-trapping capacity of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period.

The data for the study was collected using a jet aircraft outfitted with an imaging spectrometer, which measured atmospheric methane in regions accounting for 70 percent of onshore oil and gas production in the Lower 48. The aircraft took measurements from the 12 biggest oil and gas basins in the U.S. The total emissions rate across all basins was roughly 7.5 million metric tons per year, which is enough to meet the annual energy needs of over half of U.S. homes, according to the EDF. 

The analysis follows the finalization of two federal rules meant to curb methane waste. The first, the BLM's Waste Prevention Rule, applies to oil and gas drilling and extraction on public land and requires producers to pay for methane that goes to waste. The second, the EPA's Rule for Oil and Natural Gas Operations, applies to all oil and gas operations, regardless of their location, and requires increased monitoring for methane leaks.

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Study: Methane emissions in oil and gas basins far exceed EPA estimates

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Quote of the day

Hauling radioactive materials through rural Arizona, including across the Navajo Nation, without providing notice or transparency, and without providing an emergency plan, is unacceptable.”

—Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, Salt Lake Tribune

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