Studies show U.S. oil and gas operations emit some 16 million metric tons of methane yearly through venting, flaring and leaks. A study commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund shows the industries developed to mitigate methane leaks have grown by 88% over the past decade.
Isaac Brown, executive director of the Center for Methane Emissions Solutions, said stopping methane leaks has widespread benefits.
"Addressing methane waste is a win-win," Brown contended. "It's a win for the environment, it's a win for public health, but also it's a win for industry by reducing methane waste, which is essentially lost product and profitability for the oil and gas industry. And it also means high quality, high paying jobs."
Methane has 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide and drives more than 25% of U-S climate warming. Utah's methane mitigation industry currently includes 11 service and manufacturing companies, generating millions of dollars to the state's economy and employing thousands of Utahns.
Ashley Miller, executive director of the clean air advocacy group Breathe Utah, said methane mitigation is an important part of cleaning up the state's annual "brown cloud" that occurs along the Wasatch Front during the winter months.
"In order for Utah to continue to have a prosperous oil and gas industry, methane is definitely one of the biggest contributing factors to the ozone problem in the Uinta Basin," Miller explained. "Detecting, measuring and reducing methane emissions is crucial."
Brown noted proven solutions can prevent methane leaks along with other toxic pollutants like benzene, offering a cost-effective solution that reduces emissions, while making energy operations cleaner and more efficient.
"If you looked at the technologies that were available a decade ago to help the oil and gas industry identify methane leaks and then try to fix those leaks, there was a really limited number of options," Brown recounted. "We're in a very different place today."
