Natural Gas Climate Change Impact Almost as Bad as Coal Because of Methane Leakage




Photo by Kevin Moloney, NYT.




Fugitive emissions seem relatively small, but it’s important to remember that they are difficult to control and ‘fix’, as they occur at virtually every stage of the natural gas extraction and distribution process, and can result from tiny imperfections in very expensive equipment, and the always present problem of human error. Despite the intense heat-trapping ability of methane, the EPA does not currently have a cap on methane emissions, which makes it easier for these very real and potent emissions to slip between the cracks of regulation.

Texas, along with the other south central states (Kansas, Oklahoma), is already emitting 5 times as much methane as the rest of the country. With the IPCC reporting methane as a super potent greenhouse gas, the implications for microclimate change in this area of the country are particularly salient. In a region that regularly deals with ultra-hot summers, droughts and hurricanes, the added heat-trapping effect of methane could lead not only to warmer and more volatile weather, but the trappings that come with it, including loss of life, property and revenue.

Natural gas is problematic for a number of reasons, including the process to attain it, and it is for these reasons that Public Citizen is against the Austin Energy proposal to build a new natural gas facility.  Natural gas is only a significant improvement from a climate change perspective if it were to exist in a perfect world where every tiny bit of methane made it to combustion instead of leaking into the environment. While we laud the motivations of Austin Energy to slash emissions in the energy sector, Austin deserves truly clean, sustainable energy, like wind or solar, not just a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Please consider attending one of Austin Energy’s stakeholder meetings this week to tell them you prefer clean renewable energy to fossil fuels.