US Oil and Gas Must Cut Methane 80% to Meet Industry Targets, New Data Shows.

A comprehensive aerial survey conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) reveals that US oil and gas facilities need to reduce methane emissions by approximately 80% or more to meet industry targets. The survey, which covered nearly three-quarters of onshore oil and gas production in the contiguous US, found that around 1.6% of gross gas production is released as methane into the atmosphere, eight times higher than the targets set by many operators for 2030. The findings have implications for liquified natural gas exports, particularly to regions like the European Union, which will soon require buyers to pay for pollution embedded in imports. The data was collected using an imaging spectrometer mounted on an aircraft and will be supplemented by more comprehensive observations from EDF's MethaneSAT satellite. [Extracted from the article]