The University of Texas at Austin is leading a major research study to measure methane emissions from natural gas production in several fields including the Barnett Shale, the latest academic effort to assess the environmental impact of the drilling boom.
The study, launched in May, is directly measuring emissions at sites, including hydraulically fractured wells. Results are expected to be released in January."A greater understanding of the amount of methane emitted into the atmosphere can better inform sound policies and management of emissions from well sites," the school said in a news release.David Allen, principal investigator and director of the UT's Cockrell School of Engineering's Center for Energy and Environmental Resources, said the Barnett in North Texas was "among the most extensively sampled of the regions that we visited." Other fields included the Eagle Ford in South Texas, the Haynesville in East Texas and Louisiana, the Marcellus in Appalachia, the Fayetteville in Arkansas and the Denver-Julesberg in Colorado.Methane is the primary component of natural gas and is a powerful greenhouse gas. Some investigators have concluded that natural gas can be a worse source of greenhouse gas than coal, based largely on the impact of unburned methane that leaks during production and transmission.A Colorado study released earlier this year and based on 2008 measurements found higher-than-expected methane emissions.And most recently, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a report estimating a current leak rate of less than 3.2 percent for gas produced and used for power generation.If the methane leakage rate can be reduced below 1 percent, that report said, then switching to vehicles powered by natural gas instead of other fossil fuels could provide immediate climate benefits. But like many previous studies, it relied on earlier estimates of emissions rather than contemporary measurements in the fieldParticipating are nine gas producers, including Fort Worth-based XTO Energy, two environmental testing firms and the Environmental Defense Fund."The study is unique in that it brings multiple key stakeholders to the table to make measurements of emissions at the well-pad. If we want natural gas to be an accepted part of a strategy for improving energy security and moving to a clean energy future, it is critical for all of us to work together to quantify and reduce methane emissions as may be appropriate," said Mark Brownstein, chief counsel to EDF's national energy program and head of EDF's natural gas efforts.UT Austin said Allen has disclosed outside interests in accordance with UT's conflict of interest policies. The school was embarrassed this summer when it was learned that a study of hydraulic fracturing was led by professor Charles Groat, who did not disclose that he serves on the board of a large gas producer.Jim Fuquay, 817-390-7552Twitter: @jimfuquayHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
