A 41-centimeter pipe in Texas has been identified as the source of a massive methane gas leak, which, according to one estimate, unleashed in one hour the same amount of harmful gas as 16,000 U.S. vehicles would in a year.
Details of the staggering leak, also known as an “ultra-emitter” event, emerged after the pipeline operator, Energy Transfer, reported last month of a “line break” on an unregulated gathering line on its Big Cowboy pipe. That line is part of a large, interconnected web of unregulated lines that spans the United States, linking production fields to larger gas transmission lines across the country.
Energy Transfer officials said the leak lasted from 8:08 a.m. to 9:17 a.m. local time and that they notified all proper regulatory authorities immediately.
Energy Transfer officials said they are conducting an investigation into the cause of the leak. Separately, the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the line, confirmed it is independently investigating the Big Cowboy incident, though it declined to elaborate further.
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In total, the Big Cowboy leak released 52,100 thousand standard cubic feet of natural gas into the atmosphere, as well as an estimated 900 metric tons of methane gas, according to an estimate from the Environmental Defense Fund.
Though these ultra-emitter events are fairly infrequent and short — they are often spotted and shut down by pipeline operators and satellite images within hours — they have a lasting, outsize emissions impact.
According to a February study published in the research journal Science, ultra-emitters account for as much as 12% of global methane emissions in the oil and gas sector.
That’s prompted deep concerns from some in the industry, who fear the Big Cowboy incident could be a harbinger for even more “super-emissions” events as the U.S. struggles to update its aging system of pipelines.
Bill Caram, executive director at the Pipeline Safety Trust, said that in many cases, methane releases from pipelines can be “significantly” minimized. But these techniques have yet to be realized in the U.S., he said.
Since pipeline operators here are “reimbursed for any lost or unaccounted gas” through negotiated rates, he told Bloomberg News, they have “no financial incentive” to keep the gas in the pipe.
“Ultimately, the consumer is paying for all of this climate-wrecking methane being released into the atmosphere,’’ Caram said.
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The International Energy Agency has also stepped up its warnings, urging oil and gas operators in the U.S. to adopt a “zero-tolerance approach” when it comes to methane releases. The consequences for the environment are too high, it said.
