Natural gas fugitive emissions rates constrained by global atmospheric methane and ethane. Natural gas drillers in the United States would have to take steps to rein in “fugitive” greenhouse gas emissions under proposal unveiled today by the Obama administration. While the United States lags in developing a broad-based climate policy, the nation’s carbon emissions reached a 20-year low this year. Reduces fugitive and vented emissions of methane from both new and existing oil and gas facilities, including: Oil and Gas Production, Processing, and Storage Facilities; Natural Gas Gathering and Boosting Stations; Natural Gas Underground Storage Facilities; and Natural Gas Transmission Compressor Stations. Preliminary studies and field measurements show that these so-called “fugitive” methane emissions range from 1 to 9 percent of total life cycle emissions . Liquefaction of natural gas, transportation either by pipeline or as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and regasification are included in downstream processes. The EPA estimates that 45% of total methane emissions come from the production segment of the oil and natural gas industry, and earlier this year, the Obama administration announced the first-ever plan to regulate emissions from this industry. The industry has been, can, and should be reducing fugitive emissions. Building new pipelines is critical both to expanding the availability of natural gas and eliminating leakage from old pipes. Fugitive methane emissions from natural gas production, transportation and distribution are the single largest U.S. source of short-term climate forcing gases. Here, we report on a survey of CH4 emissions from 100 natural gas leaks in cast iron distribution mains in Metro Boston, MA. More drilling for natural gas (responsibly, of course) is a pathway both to a better environment and a better economy. grandriver / Getty Images Oil and gas wells are a substantial source of fugitive emissions. The emissions … Compressor engine emissions are discussed in Section 3.3.2. Author information: (1)Department of Engineering and Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University , Baker Hall 129, 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States. Schwietzke S(1), Griffin WM, Matthews HS, Bruhwiler LM. Background Adopted by the Board in March 2017. The major emission sources in the natural gas processing industry are compressor engines, acid gas wastes, fugitive emissions from leaking process equipment and if present, glycol dehydrator vent streams. Fugitive emissions from natural gas systems are the largest anthropogenic source of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4) in the U.S. and contribute to the risk of explosions in urban environments. 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