Large Methane Leaks Threaten Perception Of ‘Clean’ Natural Gas

Leigh Paterson, NPR June 23rd 2018

A new study published in the journal Science finds that methane emissions from U.S. oil and gas operations are 60 percent higher than previous estimates from the federal government.

This comes at a time when U.S. is getting more and more of its power from natural gas; in 2017, 31.7 percent of U.S. electricity came from natural gas-fired generation, up from 27.3 percent in 2013. It’s widely considered to be a cleaner fuel than coal, and natural gas does emit less carbon when it is burned for electricity. But this new, higher estimate of how much methane is leaking from natural gas production could change the whole equation.

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