Report Sees Boom in Emissions from Natural Gas

The low cost of natural gas is largely seen as a net positive for climate change, as burning gas generates lower levels of emissions than burning coal.  But an Environmental Integrity Project report released Thursday says that though gas is replacing coal -- the dirtier alternative -- in electric power plants, new industrial projects that use natural gas for feedstock or fuel are now being constructed so quickly that we're probably walking back some of our progress.

The report identified 95 new large industrial projects that are at some stage in the permitting process.  Using permit applications for emissions, EIP estimated that the projects, which include facilities like chemical plants and oil refineries and all rely on natural gas, will generate an additional 90.9 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.  The total is an emissions output equivalent to that of 21 large coal-fired power plants, according to the report.

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