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METHANE EMISSIONS FROM THE U.S. PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
Citation:
Harrison, M., T. Shires, R. Baker, AND C. Loughran. METHANE EMISSIONS FROM THE U.S. PETROLEUM INDUSTRY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-99/010 (NTIS PB99-128159), 1999.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
The report quantifies methane (CH4) emissions from the U.S. petroleum industry by identifying sources of CH4 from the production, transportation, and refining of oil. Emissions are reported for the base year 1993 and for the years 1986 through 1992, based on adjustments to the base year calculations. An extensive literature search identified 54 reports having some potential applicability for estimating CH4 emissions from the petroleum industry. Each report was reviewed and subjectively ranked based on data quality. Only seven reports were useful for this study. Methods for estimating emissions were developed when data gaps were identified. For the base year 1993, approximately 98 billion (10 to the 9th power) standard cubic feet (Bscf) +/- 44% of CH4 emissions are attributed to the petroleum industry. Standard error propagation techniques were used to determine the precision of the estimate to a 90% confidence bound. (NOTE: As concentrations of greenhouse gases increase in the atmosphere, their potential impact on global climate has become important. Although greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), CH4, and nitrogen oxides, occur naturally in the atmosphere, recent attention has focused on the increased emissions resulting from human activities. CH4 is the second largest source (after CO2) of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.)