https://theconversation.com/how-to-reduce-methane-emissions-from-the-oil-and-gas-industry-across-north-america-91635
[video, links and images in on-line article]
How to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry across
North America
February 13, 2018 6.45am EST
Kate Konschnik
Director, Climate & Energy Program, Nicholas Institute for Environmental
Policy Solutions, Duke University
Sarah Marie Jordaan
Assistant Professor of Energy, Resources and Environment and Canadian
Studies, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University
U.S. natural gas production has boomed in the past decade, driving gas
prices sharply downward. Natural gas has become a competitive choice for
electricity generation, edging out coal. Because gas contains less
carbon than coal, greenhouse gas emissions from power plants have
dropped, and the U.S. grid has become cleaner, more efficient and more
flexible. More natural gas is also entering the power sectors in Mexico
and Canada.
But the low-carbon profile of natural gas doesn’t tell the whole story.
Methane, its primary component, is a powerful greenhouse gas. It leaks
to the atmosphere from wells and pipelines, contributing to climate
change and reducing the climate benefit of using natural gas.
In 2016 U.S., Canadian and Mexican leaders pledged to reduce methane
emissions from the oil and natural gas sector 40 to 45 percent below
2012 levels by 2025. Today, however, Canada is just beginning to
contemplate more comprehensive regulatory limits on methane. Mexico has
made only nonbinding pledges so far, and the Trump administration is
rolling back federal methane regulation.
Scientists are still working to quantify methane emissions from oil and
gas production, and to improve tools for detecting and reducing methane
leaks. But even though much of the science is still uncertain, and the
Trump administration is retreating from regulating methane leaks, we
believe it is still possible and necessary to make progress on reducing
methane emissions.
Many actors – including state and provincial governments, industry, and
nongovernmental organizations – are working to advance methane
measurement and mitigation efforts. To be effective, they need to work
in concert. In a newly published synthesis article, we propose a North
American Methane Reduction Framework to coordinate regulations,
voluntary industry actions and scientific developments in methane
estimation and mitigation. This approach can bridge the divide between
science and policy, and drive new research that in turn can support
better policies when governments are ready to act.
Measurement gaps and partial responses
Despite huge advances, large gaps in methane emissions inventories
remain. The magnitude of leaks from oil and gas infrastructure remains
disputed and insufficiently measured.
Regional studies have found that up to 90 percent of emissions come from
a small number of sources that leak large amounts of methane into the
atmosphere. Detecting and managing these “super-emitters” is an
undeveloped area of research, but offers the potential for major reductions.
There also are many discrepancies in how methane emissions are measured
from place to place. States and provinces have inconsistent reporting
requirements, applying different thresholds over which facilities must
report emissions. And there are unexplained differences between
facility-level estimates of methane coming out of leaky valves and pipes
on one hand, and measurements of methane in the atmosphere near oil and
gas facilities.
Meanwhile, mitigation work is proceeding slowly. Companies have detected
and limited some methane leaks, recapturing what represents lost
product. However, earnings from recovering fugitive methane are not
always sufficient to justify voluntary action.
This suggests a need for regulation. But the U.S. and Canadian national
governments have limited authority to regulate methane leaks from oil
and gas production, so states and provinces are in the driver’s seat. To
date, Alberta and British Columbia have set targets, but are still
developing regulations. Although natural gas is produced in 32 U.S.
states, only a handful require energy companies to conduct bottom-up
monitoring and repair leaks. And only California conducts atmospheric
monitoring statewide to track top-down methane trends. In Mexico, the
regulatory framework for oil and gas is nascent.
Partnering to find solutions
Our framework encourages cross-sector collaborations and scientific
research that informs public policy. Scientists from industry,
nongovernment organizations and universities can work together to share
data and analyze emissions profiles at oil and gas sites, so long as
their research is truly independent and peer-reviewed. State agencies
can agree to harmonize reporting standards in order to facilitate
research by scientists in all sectors. Companies can partner with
enforcement agencies to deploy new sensors and measurement tools.
There are precedents for this kind of collaboration. For example, an
innovative partnership between industry, academics and the nonprofit
Environmental Defense Fund has brought together researchers to collect
data and conduct methane estimation and measurements. This work is
designed to improve government emissions inventories and inform
mitigation policies, and is distinct from advocating for specific policy
outcomes.
Similar partnerships have helped to drive solutions to other problems
during national leadership voids. For example, the Extractive Industries
Transparency Initiative is a coalition of governments, companies,
investors and civil society organizations that promotes standards for
industry reporting of oil, gas, and mining revenues. While its impacts
vary from country to country, the initiative has been credited with
establishing transparency as an international norm and promoting
dialogue between governments, businesses and nongovernment organizations.
A continental framework
The challenge of driving action from below is to ensure that multiple
actors align their efforts. Our article lays out a 10-step North
American Methane Reduction process that is designed to jump-start this
conversation.
It starts by assessing existing policies in the United States, Canada
and Mexico. Next, the framework aims to iteratively improve policy
decisions by continually advancing science and innovation around
emissions, based on the number and age of oil and gas components;
identifying and characterizing “super-emitters”; improving measurement
and detection technologies; and finding more cost-effective mitigation
strategies. This approach recognizes that policymaking cannot always
wait for completion of scientific research – but it can be informed by
the latest developments and can facilitate new research.
The Trump administration has slammed the brakes on regulating fugitive
methane emissions, but it cannot wish the problem away. Beyond climate
concerns, events such as the 2010 pipeline explosion that killed eight
people in San Bruno, California, and the 2015-16 Aliso Canyon gas leak
that displaced thousands of residents from the Porter Ranch neighborhood
in Los Angeles, underscore the safety risks of poorly maintained oil and
gas infrastructure.
Plugging methane leaks is no simple task. Management requires
measurement, and this international, cross-jurisdictional challenge
requires active coordination across many groups, including industry,
environmental organizations, academics, national and subnational
governments, and public health and safety agencies. Our framework
presents a path for integrating science and policy and addressing this
uncertain challenge to move North America toward a lower carbon future.