Up To 1,000 Times More Methane Released At Gas Wells Than EPA Estimates, Study Finds

[kpete]

Source: Think Progress


An analysis of a number of hydraulic fracturing sites in southwestern Pennsylvania has found that methane was being released into the atmosphere at 100 to 1,000 times the rate that the Environmental Protection Agency estimated. The study, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that drilling operations at seven well pads emitted 34 grams of methane per second, on average, much higher than the EPA-estimated 0.04 grams to 0.30 grams of methane per second.

The researchers, who were attempting to understand whether airborne measurements of methane aligned with estimates taken at ground level — the method commonly used by the EPA and state regulators — flew a plane over the region of the Marcellus Shale for two days in June 2012.

“The researchers determined that the wells leaking the most methane were in the drilling phase, a period that has not been known for high emissions,” reported the Los Angeles Times. “Experts had thought that methane was more likely to be released during subsequent phases of production, including hydraulic fracturing, well completion or transport through pipelines.”

Methane (CH4), the chief component of natural gas, makes up about nine percent of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. It is a super-potent greenhouse gas — especially during the first 20 years after it enters the atmosphere when it traps around 86 times as much heat as CO2. So even small leaks in the natural gas production and delivery system can have a large climate impact — enough to gut the entire benefit of switching from coal-fired power to gas.



Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/04/15/3426697/methane-vastly-underestimated/

[DeSwiss]

1. K&R

''...especially during the first 20 years after it enters the atmosphere when it traps around 86 times as much heat as CO2.''

- What!?!? You mean it's not ALL our fault!?!?! Heresy!!!!

Arctic Ocean Floor Releasing 17 Million Tons of Methane; Twice as Much as Previously Believed

[pscot]

2. There is no free lunch

One way or another, someone always pays.

[RiverNoord]

3. Astonishing that our species will be responsible for the next major extinction event

on our planet, and we will likely be among the extinct.

For so many years, the threat was a single event - global nuclear war. Now, it's the fact that we have been burning everything that we can possibly burn that releases energy. And we're all part of it.

[truedelphi]

15. And while we burn everything we can, we also

Cut the forests for vineyards.

I am sick at heart even driving through my county, as about half the farms that had lovely orchards or dairy cows surrounded by wildflowers and meadows are now these sterile wastelands of metallic supports for innumerable vines. There is a glut of wine grapes on the market, so I have never figured out why this is happening.

Orchards support wildlife, but vineyards do not. Dairy farms support wild life, but vineyards do not. and the pesticides that are used on the vineyards are also killing our aquifers.

[tofuandbeer]

4. Another strike against fracking, yet it will continue.

[rhett o rick]

5. Isnt that within the accepted margin of error?

jk

[truedelphi]

6. Unfortunately, Big Industry has the money to simply

Create enough new studies, to inform us that this data, and its resulting conclusion, is wrong.

We as a nation have gone down a slippery slippery slope, where, for instance, we are told that autism is not caused by mercury containing vaccines, due to the immensely erroneous but popular logic that a theory is proven or disproven by simply counting up the number of studies that tell us we are safe because the industry funded studies say we re.

So as soon as Big Energy Industry does this, we will all be able to go back to our lives, knowing how safe we are.

If you think there are now so many ads on TV about how exciting it is to have all this "natural gas" as a clean source of energy as a way to persuade us little people that fracking is okay, you need to think a little deeper. The ads exist to take control over the TV stations, that is, the few media conglomerates that are not already tied in to oil and gas production. Many TV stations are already deeply connected to nuclear and oil and gas. General Electric owns NBC for instance.

[Dustlawyer]

11. You are so right! You never hear from the Gulf oil spill victims

because BP spends more on advertising on the Gulf Coast than anyone else. None of the media outlets would dare to say anything negative. MSNBC won't send Rachel Maddow down to the Gulf for a follow up, and BP buys up all of the documentaries before they are released.
It is too late for us, we are Lemmings heading over the cliff. There is no big desire to make the changes we need to survive. These rich assholes don't care about future generations or anyone else for that matter, they just want MORE!!!

[truedelphi]

14. Dustlawyer, I hung on every word that Rachel Maddow spoke

When she went down to th GUlf and she talked to people, including biologists and oil/ocean remediaters, etc.

And I knew they'd never send her back. After all, doesn't GE own MSNBC?

I think with all the work on gene therapy and bionic and nano technology promises, these RICH ASSHOLES think they themselves can live in their underground bunkers forever.

And each day, I realize that people are so damn brainwashed. For instance, mention Andrew Wakefield, and you will hear what a jerk he was, when in actuality the people in Great Britain came to him, as they thought that there was a connection between something afflicting their children's stomachs after the kids were vaccinated with the MMR. (Wakefield was the guy they went to, as he was a respected gastroenterologist.)

Most people think he said, "Hey no one should ever vaccinate a child." But what he actually said was, "There are indications that having multiple vaccines administered in one shot seems to be harmful."

And for that his life was ruined. These days, every other day, I pick up a journal or magazine that says there is a tremendous connection between the health of the gut and the state of a person's brain. This is exactly what Wakefield said! Over the years, I have seen people on this site denigrate the man, on one day, and then the next they are raving about the importance of healthy flora in the gut, and the stomach's connection to the brain!

People believe the headlines, but on account of my work on MTBE, I can't ever believe a headline. I managed one day to write up my observations about what happens between an important issue and a Big Money Corporation, with regards to how the media is willing to present the issue. It makes for an interesting read: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/06/22/540267/-The-TRUTH-Versus-the-Mainstream-Media

[benld74]

7. i only thought the methane came through water pipes of the homes surrounded by fracking,,,,,

[Divernan]

8. Democratic County Exec. pushing fracking in county parks/airport!

The study was of southwestern PA - that's where Allegheny County, (Pittsburgh & suburbs) is located. And the Pittsburgh Post Gazette has been bought off as well and is pushing fracking, hey! it's all good! Cause we can trust the govt. agencies to inspect and protect us. Sadly, the state Dept. of Environmental Protection has been thoroughly gutted by GOP governor Tom Corbett. Who says the parties can't work together!?!? When Big Fracking spreads money on both sides of the aisle, they get along just great!

[TalkingDog]

9. So the Republicans are factually correct: There is no human made global warming

But they somehow forgot to mention the kind that is produced by Corporations.

[progressoid]

13. "Corporations are people my friend"

[cprise]

10. K&R

[blkmusclmachine]

12. ,

,

[Sunlei]

16. alll that natural gas wasted! same thing in the Dakotas on an even more major scale.

[NickB79]

17. We can't build solar panels fast enough

To offset this amount of greenhouse gas being released at this rate.

It's like all the renewable energy and carbon reductions put in over the past decade were just pissed away by the boom in fracking.

Just one more reason I laugh when people talk about "fighting global warming."

The fight is over. The war is over. We already lost. Now we just have to figure out how to staunch the bleeding and sacrifice some parts before we lose everything.