A study released by the Environmental Defense Fund recently reported Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry emits over 1.1 million short tons of methane annually — more than 16 times the amount reported to the state Department of Environmental Protection, according to Daily American.
Although unconventional well operators reported 70,150 short tons of methane emissions in 2017, EDF’s data put estimates seven times higher at 543,000 short tons. Additionally, levels from conventional wells were estimated to total in excess of 599,200 short tons — roughly 90% of actively producing oil and gas wells across the state are classified as conventional and therefore don’t send annual emissions data to the DEP.
While the data appears to indicate operators have underreported methane emissions to regulatory agencies by a lot, some critics believe the EDF’s analysis is based on flawed data that has been debunked by federal research agencies, including a study that was released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last year.
Learn more: Daily American > Updated study suggests Pennsylvania methane emissions are underreported
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