Methane emissions are half EPA estimate

API’s Director of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs Howard Feldman spoke to reporters on 4^th June about the URS study prepared for the API and American Natural Gas Association (ANGA). The report showed that methane emissions from natural gas production were half what had been previously estimated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The data has been labelled the most robust the nation now has on this subject.

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‘Our new report provides the best, most comprehensive estimate of methane emissions from US natural gas production. It’s based on data from 10 times as many wells as support the estimate EPA has been using.

‘This emissions information is critically important because it allows oil and gas companies, citizens and regulators to gauge the industry’s impact on the environment and allows companies to measure continued efforts to reduce their environmental footprint.

‘The API-ANGA emissions estimate, which is half EPA’s estimate, is more accurate because it’s based on emissions from 91 000 wells operated by 20 companies, distributed over a much broader geographic area. EPA’s data were derived from only 8800 wells.

‘The fact that these emissions are much less than earlier, more limited estimates and the fact that operators are already working to reduce emissions from natural gas production is good news for the future of US natural gas development and the game changing benefits of job creation and economic growth that will come with it.’

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/06062012/api_on_urs_emissions_report/