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ESTIMATE OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM THE U.S. NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
Citation:
Kirchgessner*, D A., R. Lott, R. Cowgill, M. Harrison, AND T. Shires. ESTIMATE OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM THE U.S. NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY. CHEMOSPHERE. Pergamon/Elsevier, 35(6):1365-1390, (1997).
Impact/Purpose:
To share information.
Description:
Global methane from the fossil fuel industries have been poorly quantified and, in many cases, emissions are not well-known even at the country level. Historically, methane emissions from the U.S. gas industry have been based on sparse data, incorrect assumptions, or both. As a result, the contribution of these emissions to the global methane inventory could not be accurately assessed and, until now, the assertion that global warming could be partially mitigated by replacing coal and oil fuels with natural gas could not be defended. A recently completed, multiyear study conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Research and Development and the Gas Research Institute had the objective of determining methane emissions from U.S. gas industry with an accuracy of +/-0.5% of production. The study concluded that, in the 1992 base year, methane emissions from the industry were 314 +/-105 Bscf or 6.04 +/-2.01 Tg.
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ESTIMATE OF METHANE EMISSIONS FROM THE U.S. NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY (PDF, NA pp, 719 KB, about PDF)Journal Access
