Emissions

Facing adjournment the end of this week (Sept. 11), California lawmakers continued on Tuesday to debate the details of a comprehensive energy bill (SB 350) designed to support Gov. Jerry Brown’s climate change response (see Daily GPI, April 30) including cutting the use of petroleum products in transportation in half by 2030 as the industry grapples with calls for it to radically reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Finding and repairing leaks, capturing natural gas from the completion of hydraulically fractured oil wells, and limiting emissions from new and modified pneumatic pumps and equipment used at transmission compressor stations would cut methane emissions as much as 400,000 short tons by 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Tuesday.

Finding and repairing leaks, capturing natural gas from the completion of hydraulically fractured oil wells, and limiting emissions from new and modified pneumatic pumps and equipment used at transmission compressor stations would cut methane emissions as much as 400,000 short tons by 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said Tuesday.

Anticipating and advocating the proposed Obama administration methane emissions rules, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) representatives on Monday mounted their soapbox again to beat the drum for tough new requirements that will support the administration’s stated goal of reducing the emissions 40-45% by 2025.

Fifteen states — led by West Virginia and including several oil and gas heavyweights — have filed an emergency petition in federal court, urging it to postpone the deadlines set forth earlier this month by the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP).

The total amount of methane emitted from natural gas transmission and storage facilities in 2012 was 1,220-1,950 gigagrams/year (mean of 1,503 Gg/year), resulting in an estimated loss of 0.35% of the methane transported, according to an industry-backed study released Tuesday.

University of Houston research that was coordinated by the Environmental Defense Fund has found some Barnett Shale natural gas wells, compressor stations…

University of Houston (UH) research that was coordinated by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has found some Barnett Shale natural gas wells, compressor stations and gas processing plants leak more methane than previously estimated, but many of the problems can be addressed through easy measures.

A group of institutional investors worth a combined $1.5 trillion has thrown its support behind an Obama administration plan for the oil and natural gas industry to cut methane emissions from new and modified sources 40-45% below 2012 levels by 2025.