Methane Emissions in the Natural Gas Supply Chain: Production


Measurements of Methane Emissions at Natural Gas Production Sites

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Frequently asked questions are organized into sections addressing (i) methods and results, (ii) comparing this work to other studies, (iii) interpreting the results, and (iv) moving forward.

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  Methods and Results

  What is unique about the methods used and data reported in this study?
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  What types of emission sources were measured? What types of sources were not measured and why?
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  How were sites selected for sampling? What steps were taken to eliminate bias in the sites sampled?
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  Why only make downwind measurements at a subset of the sites?
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  Are the raw data publicly available? Are any data not being released?
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  Why focus only on methane?
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  How did the study team ensure that all of the methane emissions were accounted for?
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  Why make measurements in different regions and why would emissions vary from geologic basin to basin?
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  What regional differences were observed?
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  Comparing this work to other studies

  How do these results compare to emissions reported by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency?
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  Why have emissions reported in the EPA national emission inventories for natural gas production varied so much over the past several years?
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  How does this data compare to data collected under the EPA GHG Reporting Program?
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  Interpreting the Results

  How did the study team use its measurements to estimate national emissions?
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  How do these national greenhouse gas emission estimates compare to estimates associated with other fuels (coal, oil)?
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  Are there health and safety or air quality (photochemical smog) implications for the measurements made in this study?
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  Moving Forward

  Will the study team make additional measurements?
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  How will new regulations impact the methane emissions measured in this study?
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  Miscellaneous

  How is a manuscript selected for publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences?
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