The OurEnergyLibrary aggregates and indexes publicly available fact sheets, journal articles, reports, studies, and other publications on U.S. energy topics. It is updated every week to include the most recent energy resources from academia, government, industry, non-profits, think tanks, and trade associations. Suggest a resource by emailing us at info@ourenergypolicy.org.
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The recent growth in production and utilization of natural gas offers potential climate benefits, but those benefits depend on lifecycle emissions of methane, the primary component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas. This study estimates methane emissions from the transmission and storage (T&S) sector of the United States natural gas industry using new data collected during 2012, including 2,292 onsite measurements, additional emissions data from 677 facilities and activity data from 922 facilities. The largest emission sources were fugitive emissions from certain compressor-related equipment and “super-emitter” facilities. We estimate total methane emissions from the T&S sector at 1,503 …
View Full ResourceIncreased natural gas production in the United States has fueled a lively debate on the future of natural gas exports. This debate has focused so far predominantly on exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). At the same time, the debate is clouded with many confusing statements about the regulatory regime related to natural gas exports with many foreign nations and even some domestic observers having the erroneous belief that the United States has severe restrictions on exports, when in fact no project has to date ever been rejected. In addition, estimates about the amount of U.S. natural gas that will …
View Full ResourceThe University of Texas reported on a campaign to measure methane (CH4) emissions from United States natural gas (NG) production sites as part of an improved national inventory. Unfortunately, their study appears to have systematically underestimated emissions. They used the Bacharach Hi-Flow® Sampler (BHFS) which in previous studies has been shown to exhibit sensor failures leading to under reporting of NG emissions. The data reported by the University of Texas study suggest their measurements exhibit this sensor failure, as shown by the paucity of high-emitting observations when the wellhead gas composition was less than 91% CH4, where sensor failures are …
View Full ResourceThe AEE Institute contracted with ICF International to perform an assessment of the potential impacts of the EPA Clean Power Plan (CPP) on required gas pipeline capacity. This report responds to concerns raised by some stakeholders, including the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC), that states might rely heavily on natural gas generation for compliance with the CPP, creating stress on gas pipeline capacity and ultimately impacting electric system reliability. These parties have suggested that addressing the concerns might require expensive expansion of natural gas infrastructure over a challenging timeframe.
Using assumptions provided by the AEE Institute, ICF International modeled …
View Full ResourceThis working paper is a first of its kind guide for US states aiming to enact policies to regulate methane emissions.
It looks at ways to reduce methane leaks from major emissions sources, including technologies to help reduce methane emissions and model rules for states to base future regulations on.
Adoption of model rules or similar policies at the state level will help ensure that the US reaches its 2020 and post-2020 GHG emissions reduction targets. With recent increases in natural gas extraction, largely from the combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, many states are confronting the need to …
View Full ResourceWood Mackenzie has evaluated the impact on the US economy of various prodevelopment policies and regulatory constraints in the oil and natural gas sectors.
API has requested Wood Mackenzie to investigate the impact of potential changes to various oil and natural gas-related policies at both a federal and state level. The positive impacts of a series of pro-development policies have been evaluated, alongside the detrimental impacts of a number of proposed and recently enacted regulatory constraints. The impacts are characterized in terms of jobs, GDP, government revenues, and household income and energy expenditure. Both upside and downside scenarios have been …
View Full ResourceWhile natural gas produces lower carbon dioxide emissions than diesel during combustion, if enough methane is emitted across the fuel cycle, then switching a heavy-duty truck fleet from diesel to natural gas can produce net climate damages (more radiative forcing) for decades. Using the Technology Warming Potential methodology, we assess the climate implications of a diesel to natural gas switch in heavy-duty trucks. We consider spark ignition (SI) and high-pressure direct injection (HPDI) natural gas engines and compressed and liquefied natural gas. Given uncertainty surrounding several key assumptions and the potential for technology to evolve, results are evaluated for a …
View Full ResourceThis paper reviews recent developments in the production and use of unconventional natural gas in the United States with a focus on environmental impacts. Specifically, we focus on water management and greenhouse gas emission implications. If unconventional natural gas in the United States is produced responsibly, transported and distributed with little leakage, and incorporated into integrated energy systems that are designed for future resiliency, it could play a significant role in realizing a more sustainable energy future. The cutting-edge of industry water management practices gives a picture of how this transition is unfolding, although much opportunity remains to minimize water …
View Full ResourceThe largest part of a natural gas customer’s bill is the cost of the gas itself, over which the utility has little control. This cost accounts for about 41 cents of every dollar of revenue received by a distribution utility. The bill amount for the gas portion varies with price as well as amount consumed. Natural gas utilities also incur costs that are not dependent on a customer’s consumption.
This analysis updates a report done five years ago. The purpose of this analysis is to illustrate the current levels of customer charges, estimate the portion of fixed costs that these …
View Full ResourceNew analysis conducted by the Rhodium Group and commissioned by EDF says that the 20-year climate impact of methane escaping from oil and gas operations worldwide has the same near-term climate impact as emissions of 40 percent of total global coal combustion. That’s because methane, the primary ingredient in natural gas and a highly potent greenhouse gas (GHG), has over 80 times the warming power of CO2. Rhodium’s study, “Untapped Potential: Reducing Global Methane Emissions from Oil and Natural Gas Systems” finds that global oil and gas emissions will grow significantly without additional efforts to avoid leakage.
The climate significance …
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