Full Title: Clearing the Air: Reducing Upstream Greenhouse Gas Emissions from U.S. Natural Gas Systems
Author(s): James Bradbury, Michael Obeiter, Laura Draucker, Wen Wang, and Amanda Stevens
Publisher(s): World Resources Institute
Publication Date: April 1, 2013
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Natural gas production in the United States has increased rapidly in recent years, growing by 23 percent from 2007 to 2012. This development has significantly changed projections of the future energy mix in the U.S. Advances combining horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing have enabled producers to access vast supplies of natural gas deposits in shale rock formations. This shale gas phenomenon has helped to reduce energy prices, directly and indirectly supporting growth for many sectors of the U.S. economy, including manufacturing.
This paper seeks to clarify what is known about methane emissions from the natural gas sector, what progress has been made to reduce those emissions, and what more can be done.