$criticism of methane leaks from fracked natural gas wells$ $criticism of methane leaks from fracked natural gas wells$

CRITICISM OF METHANE LEAKS FROM FRACKED NATURAL GAS WELLS SERIES

Much of that decline was driven by the greening of America’s power plants and the growing use of natural gas in particular. carbon dioxide emissions fell 12% between 20, according to the Rhodium Group, an independent consulting firm. The finding has far-reaching implications. It concluded that wells in the Permian were leaking enough gas to supply 7 million homes in Texas ( Energywire, April 23). EDF’s newest study used a satellite operated by the European Space Agency to collect data on methane emissions from the basin between May 2018 to March 2019. The extent of the region’s methane emissions had been an open question. oil production and 10% of the country’s gas output.

$criticism of methane leaks from fracked natural gas wells$

The Permian now accounts for about 30% of U.S. The basin, which extends from West Texas into southeastern New Mexico, is the beating heart of the American oil patch. Until recently, the Permian Basin had been a missing piece of the methane puzzle. That’s about 60% more than the leakage rate reported by EPA, at 1.4%. oil and gas system leaked on average 2.3% of all the gas it produced.

$criticism of methane leaks from fracked natural gas wells$

CRITICISM OF METHANE LEAKS FROM FRACKED NATURAL GAS WELLS SERIES

A series of earlier studies coordinated by EDF and hundreds of other researchers indicated that the U.S. Scientists have long struggled to pinpoint just how much methane is being released into the atmosphere. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, produces about half the emissions of coal when burned, but it’s a much more powerful greenhouse gas when leaked into the atmosphere. The study by EDF is significant on several fronts. oil and gas system emits more than current EPA estimates would suggest.” It is yet another indicator that the U.S. “The first thing to say is the 3.7% number really jumps off the page,” said Daniel Raimi, a researcher at Resources for the Future. That’s enough to erase the greenhouse gas benefits of quitting coal for gas in the near term. Now it appears that those CO 2 reductions might be smaller than previously thought.Ī recent study by the Environmental Defense Fund found that 3.7% of natural gas produced in the Permian Basin leaked into the atmosphere. America’s carbon dioxide emissions have fallen consistently over the last 15 years in large part because power companies have swapped coal for natural gas.

$criticism of methane leaks from fracked natural gas wells$

Criticism of methane leaks from fracked natural gas wells