U.S. Overstates Leaks by Gas-Drillers, Says Study

University of Texas Researchers Challenge Methane Emissions by Fracking

Natural-gas drilling sites aren’t leaking as much methane into the atmosphere as the federal government and critics of hydraulic fracturing had believed, according to the first study of emissions at multiple drilling sites.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and published on Monday by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is likely to ease some concerns about the impact of natural-gas extraction on the climate.

Measuring emissions at 190 sites, the study found less “fugitive methane” than previous work by the Environmental Protection Agency and some university researchers, which relied on estimates. Methane, the primary ingredient in natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas.

Critics of fracking have contended that large amounts of methane leak from gas drilling sites, with some suggesting the problem was so great that it would be better for the environment to burn coal instead of natural gas.

More work must be done on other potential sources of methane leaks, for example from pipelines, before researchers can say definitively that producing and burning natural gas is better for the environment than using coal to generate electricity.

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