follow-up to Methane Matters, part one

Another study confirms that methane emissions from US oil and gas production are underestimated. Based on nearly one million aerial measurements, methane emissions for six regions ranged from 0.75% percent of covered natural gas production in a highly productive gas-rich region to 9.63% in a rapidly expanding oil region. The regional average was 2.95%, or about three times the national inventory estimate. Less than 2% of well sites contributed the majority (50-79%) of emissions in 11 of 15 airborne surveys. Pipelines and midstream facilities contributed 18-57% of emissions, again from a small number of sources. (Similarly results have been reported previously.)

• Sherwin ED, et al. US oil and gas system emissions from nearly one million aerial site measurements. Nature. 2024 Mar;627(8003):328-334. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07117-5. Epub 2024 Mar 13. PMID: 38480966