… Scientist Studies Methane Levels in Cross-Continent Drive (finds levels are higher than known)

[caraher]

12. Here's what struck me

In his analysis, Peischl found that the methane leak rate from Los Angeles-area oil and gas operations was 17 percent. This is high; leakage rates of "fugitive emissions" from oil and gas drilling operations are currently estimated at 4 percent by U.S. EPA (ClimateWire, April 4).

The California Air Resources Board has been working toward pinning down this leakage percentage in its own way, too. Peischl's paper cites a survey it did of oil and gas producers in which it queried them about the equipment they use. Based on those results, CARB's revised estimate for fugitive emissions from the Los Angeles basin is 12 percent."

I wonder what we'd find in a more systematic study... it seems like we really do not have a good handle at all on the extent of this problem. All the more reason to just get off fossil fuels rather than move to natural gas because it's (possibly) "not as bad as coal."