Progress made in reducing emissions from natural-gas drilling
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027347
Los Angeles Times : A new study of 190 US onshore natural-gas sites shows that methane emissions have been dramatically reduced during at least one phase of drilling. The reduction is due to new technology being implemented at the well-completion stage, when sand and liquids injected into the well during drilling get cleaned out. The new technology is the result of impending regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency. Nevertheless, in other phases of production, higher levels of methane than estimated were shown to leak from pneumatic controllers and other equipment not regulated by the EPA, said the study’s authors. Reactions to the study have been mixed, in part because it was funded by several energy companies that drill for natural gas and included only a fraction of the total number of drilling operations.
