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Pennsylvania fracked wells played out6/19/2023 The state Department of Environmental Protection is reviewing the EDF findings, said spokesman Neil Shader. Pennsylvania Considers New Methane RulesĮDF chose to look at Pennsylvania’s methane leaks because the state is expected to issue rules in March to reduce methane leaks from new oil and gas sites. Much of the methodology can be traced back to standards for estimates established years ago by the Environmental Protection Agency, he said. Industry’s underestimation of methane leaks comes from outdated methodology, said David Lyon, the lead scientist for the EDF report. In 2015, its data showed 112,100 tons of methane leaked. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection tracks methane only from unconventional oil and gas sites. EDF calculated that fracked wells spewed about 253,500 tons of methane in 2015, and conventional wells, 268,900 tons. As a result, even a small leakage rate of 0.3 percent led to a vast amount of methane entering the atmosphere, the analysis estimated. Twenty-three percent of methane at a conventional well leaked into the atmosphere compared to 0.3 percent at a fracked well, EDF estimated.īut the newer fracked wells produce considerably more natural gas than the older wells. There are far more conventional wells than unconventional ones in the state, and because they are older they leak at a much higher rate. In the new report, EDF analyzed methane leaks from Pennsylvania’s conventional oil and gas wells, mostly drilled before 2008, and from unconventional wells, those unlocked since then using hydraulic fracturing. ![]() The Trump administration has been working to roll back several policies and initiatives that were designed to rein in methane emissions, most recently to end requirements to limit leaks at oil and gas sites on federal land. Methane, the primary constituent of natural gas, is a short-lived climate pollutant that is about 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a century. ![]() ![]() The disparity between what researchers find and what industry reports raises important questions about the actual level of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States and the viability of natural gas as an alternative to coal, if limits aren’t placed on methane leaks from gas and oil infrastructure. The underreporting of methane leaks in Pennsylvania is part of a nationwide pattern that peer-reviewed studies have uncovered in recent years as scientists compare federal and state statistics to data they gather on the ground and in aircraft flyovers. “This wasted gas causes the same near-term climate pollution as 11 coal-fired power plants and results in nearly $68 million worth of wasted energy resources,” the group said in its report, released Thursday. Leaks of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from oil and gas sites in Pennsylvania could be five times greater than industry reports to state regulators, according to a new analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund.ĭrawing from peer-reviewed research based on measurements collected downwind of oil and gas sites, along with government data, the EDF analysis estimates that the state’s oil and gas wells and infrastructure leak more than 520,000 tons of methane annually, largely due to faulty equipment. Stay informed about the latest climate, energy and environmental justice news.
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