Methane emissions from fracking on federal lands more than doubled between 2008 and 2013, according to a report by left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress.
The report drew from Interior Department data to show that emissions of the potent but short-lived greenhouse gas rose 135 percent over the period. Much of the emissions were attributed to “venting” and “flaring” — meaning igniting excess natural gas produced at hydraulic fracturing sites.
Methane is believed to trap heat at a rate 25 times greater than carbon dioxide. Scientists say such greenhouse gases exacerbate climate change.
Venting and flaring have become a nuisance for drillers and environmentalists alike since they waste gas and produce emissions. But many regions lack the pipelines and other infrastructure they need to use all the natural gas drillers are capturing. Other sources of emissions from fracking on federal lands include methane that leaks during fracking, and some environmentalists worry it could erase the climate benefits of natural gas, which has half the carbon density of coal.
“As fossil-fuel production on public lands has increased to record-high levels in recent years, methane released on federal lands has sparked serious concerns about the climate impacts of industry practices, which are already a major source of carbon pollution,” the report said.
An uptick in fracking in New Mexico as well as the Bakken shale formation in North Dakota and Montana likely drove the emissions increase, the CAP report said. It blamed a dearth of infrastructure necessary to prevent venting and flaring.
While the think tank report said fracking emissions increased on federal lands, the Environmental Protection Agency said such emissions declined across the whole sector. The EPA released data last week that showed oil and gas sector methane emissions were down 12 percent since 2011, with a 73 percent reduction at fracking wells.
Still, methane remains the largest unregulated greenhouse gas in the United States, accounting for 9 percent of total emissions. And it has caught the Obama administration’s eye.
The administration is crafting a methane emissions reduction strategy that is due this fall, a portion of which will deal with fracking sites on federal lands. The Energy Department also is drafting a review of the nation’s energy infrastructure that will be used to inform planning decisions. Natural gas pipelines are expected to get attention in that Quadrennial Energy Review, which is scheduled for release early next year.
