Environment

High Rates of Methane Spewing From US Permian Oilfield Operations: Report

Methane continues to escape at a high rate from oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin, according to an aerial survey that detected major methane plumes from 40% of 900 sites that were measured.

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A flare burns excess natural gas in the Permian Basin in Loving County, Texas, on 23 November 2019.<br/><br/>
Source: Angus Mordant/Reuters

Methane continues to escape at a high rate from oil and gas operations in the Permian Basin, according to an aerial survey released on 14 December that detected major methane plumes from 40% of 900 sites that were measured.

The latest research conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) via helicopter during the first 2 weeks of November found that 14% of those plumes were the result of malfunctioning flares.

Researchers also found that at one-third of smaller wells significant emissions persisted for days. The aerial survey of the largest US oil field showed that leaks arose from different pieces of equipment at different times.

This was the eighth aerial survey conducted by EDF's PermianMAP initiative, which monitors methane from the upstream, downstream, and midstream operations in the oil field. The survey comes weeks after the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first regulations targeting methane from the country's existing oil and gas facilities.

The Biden administration also set a goal to reduce 30% of all methane emissions by 2030 as part of its participation in the Global Methane Pledge, which was formally launched at the UN Climate summit in Glasgow.

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