Methane Emissions from Oil & Gas Development

While not yet resolved, recent well-site and atmospheric methane measurements and associated emissions calculations suggest that the current inventory numbers for emissions from the oil & gas industry are likely underestimates.

A continental scale estimate presented at AGU suggests that actual, nationwide emissions are more likely in the 3-5% range of produced natural gas.  Emission rates may be significantly higher or lower locally, creating a large range of well-site variability, making upscaling from well-site measurements difficult and noisy at best.

At these leak rate levels, natural gas still holds a greenhouse gas advantage over coal combustion for electricity production in the long run.  However, such leak rates are higher than claimed by the industry, and co-emitted or flared hydrocarbons produce locally and regionally recognized air pollution that needs to be addressed.  While methane leaks may not have been on everybody's radar in the past, they have always mattered.  Or as one AGU abstract elegantly summarized:

"There is increasing recognition that minimizing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector is a key step in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions in the near term.  Atmospheric monitoring techniques are likely to play an important future role in measuring the extent of existing emissions and verifying emission reductions."

Methane Emissions from Oil & Gas Development