Advertisement

You Will Recognize The Names Of The Companies That Emit The Most Methane

FILE — In this April 23, 2010 file photo, workers move a section of well casing into place at a Chesapeake Energy natural gas well site near Burlington, Pa., in Bradford County. Chesapeake is one of the leading emitters of methane in the oil and gas industry. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RALPH WILSON
FILE — In this April 23, 2010 file photo, workers move a section of well casing into place at a Chesapeake Energy natural gas well site near Burlington, Pa., in Bradford County. Chesapeake is one of the leading emitters of methane in the oil and gas industry. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/RALPH WILSON

Frackers across the country — in places like Texas, Colorado, North Dakota, and Oklahoma — are spewing millions of tons of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere, nullifying any climate impacts of cleaner-burning natural gas.

The biggest names in natural gas, including ConocoPhillips, BP America, and Exxon, are responsible for more than half the methane released during onshore natural gas production in the United States. Natural gas is 80 percent methane, which traps heat 86 times more effectively than CO2 over a 20-year period. So, when the invisible, odorless gas leaks during drilling, it has an outsized climate effect.

A new report from the Center for American Progress found that total natural gas production — drilling, fracturing, pumping, and compressing at well sites — released methane emissions equivalent to running 14 coal-fired power plants for one year.

BREAKING: EPA Finalizes Methane Rule For New Oil And Gas OperationsClimate by CREDIT: AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday issued its final rule…thinkprogress.orgFracking has already been shown to have a rash of environmentally degrading impacts, from water contamination to habitat destruction. This week, an investigation from the Center for Public Integrity found that the Marcellus Shale region in Pennsylvania is struggling with disposing of the radioactive material brought up during the fracking process.

Advertisement

But it’s important to keep in mind that the immediate, obvious issues with fracking (such as explosions and poor drinking water), are compounded by natural gas’ impact on climate change. Data from 2014, the most recent year available and the basis of the CAP report, is likely representative of ongoing emissions issues in the industry.

According to the EPA, the oil and gas industry is responsible for a third of the country’s methane emissions (other sources include cows, rice, and melting permafrost). The Obama administration has a goal of reducing methane emissions from oil and gas by 40 to 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. In pursuit of that goal, the EPA finalized a new methane rule on new oil and gas infrastructure back in May, which the EPA expects will reduce methane emissions by the equivalent of 11 million metric tons of CO2 annually by 2025. Perhaps it goes without saying, but none of the existing wells covered in the CAP report will be subject to that rule.

However, the EPA is in the process of gathering data for another methane rule that would cover existing wells, such as the ones currently leaking.

Alison Cassady, the CAP report’s author, said the data shows the importance of a strong EPA rule.

For one, it’s not just the big producers that are leaking. While ConocoPhillips, the sixth-largest natural gas producer, topped the methane emissions list, it’s smaller companies that top the list of emissions on a per-well basis. While big companies might feel pressure from the board to adopt voluntary standards, smaller operations are more likely to simply operate within the letter of the law, she said. “This shows the need for a mandatory across-the board-standard that all companies would have to meet,” Cassady told ThinkProgress.

Advertisement

And rules have been shown to work. In fact, methane emissions from oil and gas operations fell slightly from 2013 to 2014, which Cassady attributes to an EPA rule governing emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are a key component of smog and can also be emitted during natural gas extraction. Reducing VOC emissions also reduced methane emissions.

The most striking thing about this week’s report, though, might be that this is normal. When the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility in Southern California ruptured last fall, becoming the largest known methane leak in U.S. history, it put out about a seventh of what the industry emits every year during the production process alone (that means not counting “normal” storage and transmission leaks, or leaking at processing facilities). Aliso Canyon caused a wave of outrage and a slew of new natural gas legislation in California. Can the EPA’s everyday data do the same?