Carbon dioxide is the principal heat-trapping greenhouse gas that is thought to contribute to global warming. But it is not the only one, though it usually gets most of the attention. Methane is 84 times as potent a greenhouse gas as carbon in the first 20 years after it is released.
Methane, the main constituent in natural gas, is escaping into the atmosphere from leaks during the production, storage and distribution of natural gas in such large volumes that there is a real danger it could undo the expected ecological advantages of switching from coal to gas in electricity production, with consequences for climate change that could be severe.
President Obama has touted natural gas as the bridge fuel to a clean energy future. But natural gas could prove to be a bridge to nowhere if methane leaks like the uncontrolled huge one at an underground gas storage facility in the San Fernando Valley in California happen.
At its peak in late November, the leak was releasing 58 metric tons of methane an hour, according to the California Air Resources Board. The effect of the leak, which is still loading the atmosphere with greenhouse gases, is comparable to adding 7 million cars to the road. The leak is now down to 36 metric tons an hour, but it is not expected to be fixed for another two months.
Studies show that methane is leaking from the entire natural gas supply chain ... from fracking wells, pipelines, valves and storage facilities .. at rates that range as high as 8% of the gas supply. No one can say for sure just how much methane is being lost, but EPA is using sophisticated methane detectors to provide better data. Meanwhile, EPA has proposed regulations cutting methane emissions by 40% to 45% over the next decade.
Compared to nuclear power, the oil and gas industry is enjoying a free ride with respect to the environment and public health and safety.
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