Porter Ranch Gas Leak
Coverage of the natural gas leak at SoCalGas Company's Aliso Canyon facility.
California's Massive Methane Leak Highlights National Crisis, Environmentalists SaySmaller leaks across the supply chain said to pose a broad threat
By Noreen O'Donnell
As the massive natural gas leak in Aliso Canyon continues to pump methane into the air above Los Angeles, environmental activists are warning about a much bigger and more widespread crisis that is not drawing nearly as much attention: leaks throughout the nation's oil and gas supply chain.A series of studies spearheaded by the Environmental Defense Fund beginning in 2012 found problems across the country at every point of the natural gas supply chain, from thousands of wellheads to miles of utility lines underneath city streets. Emissions at the Barnett Shale in Texas, one of the country's major oil and gas producing regions, were almost twice the estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, researchers found.
Together the leaks add up to more than 7.3 million metric tons of methane emissions a year, dwarfing what is happening at Aliso Canyon — and producing the same effect on the climate over 20 years as 160 coal-fired power plants, the Environmental Defense Fund says. Earlier research of methane in the atmosphere indicated emissions were 50 percent greater than estimated by the EPA.
"Aliso Canyon on the one hand is unique because it's so big and because it is happening at a gas storage facility but it is at the same time very symptomatic of a problem that exists across the oil and gas industry," said Mark Brownstein, a vice president in the organization's climate and energy program.
With the United States now the largest producer of natural gas in the world, the Obama administration has been promoting it as a cleaner energy alternative. Even as environmental officials urge the country to lessen its dependence on natural gas, it remains a significant part of the U.S. energy mix.
And methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas. In the United States, it amounted to 10 percent of greenhouse emissions in 2013, the second most prevalent gas connected to human activities after carbon dioxide, according to the EPA. Pound for pound, its effect on climate change is 25 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.
Complaints of headaches and nosebleeds
The leak above the Los Angeles neighborhood of Porter Ranch, which has sickened some residents, is enormous — one of the largest ever recorded, according to Timothy O'Connor, the Environmental Defense Fund's oil and gas director in California. It has released more than 87,000 metric tons of methane into the atmosphere since the end of October, the equivalent of more than $13 million worth of natural gas wasted or 827 million gallons of gasoline burned, according to the organization.
The escaping methane is a blow to California's position as an environmental leader. Earlier this year, Gov. Jerry Brown announced an ambitious goal of curbing greenhouse gases faster than originally planned — but now officials estimate Aliso Canyon to be responsible for 25 percent of the state's methane emissions. Brown was forced to declare a state of emergency at the beginning of the month while Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has compared the leak to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico.
Aliso Canyon is used as a storage field by the Southern California Gas Co., whose crews discovered the leak at one of the wells on Oct. 23. The gas company says it could take until the end of February to cap it. A plan to capture and burn off the leaking gas was abandoned on Jan. 18 because regulators were afraid of a catastrophic explosion of the well. On Jan. 23, state regulators ordered the gas company to close the leaking well permanently.
The leak has driven thousands of people from their homes in Porter Ranch, many with complaints of headaches, nosebleeds and nausea, possibly from odorants that have been added. Natural gas has no odor so a smell of "rotten eggs" is added to help detect leaks. A group of residents have filed a class-action lawsuit and are demanding that the storage field be closed permanently.
"I think it's poisoning our family," one resident, Christine Katz, told NBC Los Angeles.
SoCalGas May Cap Porter Ranch Gas Leak by End of February Southern California Gas Company said it will cap off the monthslong Porter Ranch gas leak by the end of February, if not sooner. Annette Arreola reports for NBC4 Today in LA on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016. (Published Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2016)
She and her husband, Brian, sued Southern California Gas Co. and its parent company, Sempra Energy, in December after one of their children was hospitalized for trouble breathing.
"She's never had a breathing problem," Christine Katz said of her 2-year-old daughter, Ava. "She's never had asthma."
The Gas Company has said it does not comment on pending litigation.
"Stuff just goes wrong"
There are 400 other natural gas storage facilities across the country, with their potential for leaks. But it is the generally much smaller leaks occurring throughout the system that are more of a problem, said Adam Brandt, an assistant professor at Stanford University's School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Science.
"Getting the overall leakage percentage down of the whole system, not just of any particular leak, is pretty important for future use of gas in the face of climate concerns," Brandt said.
Natural gas is a significant component of the U.S. energy supply — supplying a third of the country's electricity, heating about two-thirds of the homes and fueling stoves — plus it is used for plastics and fertilizer.
An earlier study, conducted by researchers from Stanford University and elsewhere and of which Brandt was the lead author, found that methane leaks had negated the climate-change benefits of using natural gas over diesel fuel for transportation — though it also found that generating electricity by burning gas instead of coal would still lower greenhouse effects over 100 years. That's because burning coal not only releases an enormous amount of carbon dioxide but mining it also releases methane.
There are close to 1 million oil and gas wells across the United States and millions of miles of pipes. The methane leaks are a result both of aging infrastructure and the complexity of the system, Brandt said. Often wells are scattered in remote areas, added to the challenge of locating leaks and repairing them.
"You’ve got a complex system under pressure with a lot of devices and valves and safety systems associated with it and stuff just goes wrong," he said.
New federal regulations
David Allen, a professor in chemical engineering and director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources at the University of Texas at Austin, said that one way to tackle the problem would be to find so-called super-emitters or equipment, wells or sites that emit large amounts of methane and make repairs or replacements there.
"Often a small subset of wells, or sites, or specific pieces of equipment, dominate the emissions from that type of emissions source," said Allen, the principal investigator for one of the Environmental Defense Fund's studies, in an email.
For example, about 20 percent of pneumatic controllers — devices found all along the oil and gas chains to control the opening and closing of values — account for 95 percent of methane emissions from pneumatic controllers, he said.
The first federal regulations to require the county's oil and gas to cut methane emissions were proposed in August by the Environmental Protection Agency. The regulations are meant to reduce emissions by 20 to 30 percent; the EPA's goal is a drop of 40 to 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025. In addition, on Jan. 22, the Interior Department proposed rules for emissions at operations on federal land.
The oil and gas industry says the regulations are unnecessary and expensive. The cost to industry, would be up to $420 million a year by 2025 but that would be countered by savings of up $550 million a year, according to EPA estimates.
Environmentalists back the regulations but say they do not go far enough because they apply primarily to new wells not existing ones.
Opposition from the oil, gas industry
"The fact is that America is already leading the world in reducing greenhouse gas emissions," the American Petroleum Institute said in a statement. "Even as oil and natural gas production has risen dramatically, methane emissions have fallen, thanks to industry leadership and investment in new technologies."
The institute's president, Jack Gerard, has said that even as oil and natural gas production has surged, methane emissions from hydraulically fractured natural gas wells have fallen nearly 79 percent since 2005, and carbon dioxide emissions were down to 27-year lows. The decrease was a result of significant investments in new technologies and leadership from the industry, he said.
State Regulators Concerned About Porter Ranch Blowout Mayor Eric Garcetti said there needs to be accountability for an ongoing gas leak at a Southern California Gas Co. facility near Porter Ranch, but the "first responsibility" is to cap the well, which has been releasing natural gas into the atmosphere for more than two months. Marin Austin (Published Friday, Jan. 15, 2016)
The president of the Independent Petroleum Association of America, Barry Russell, said in a statement that administration was proposing a costly and complicated regulatory program for few environmental benefits. The cuts would inflict more pain on the men and women working in the oil and gas industry at a time when it was already buffeted by falling prices.
Extreme Weather: Blizzard Slams East Coast
Texas Republican Rep. Lamar Smith, the chairman of the House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology Committee, called the proposed rules another example of the "Obama administration's war on American energy jobs."
"The EPA's own data show that methane emissions in the United States decreased by almost 15 percent between 1990 and 2013, yet EPA is forging ahead with this extraneous and unnecessary regulation," Smith said in a statement over the summer. "Instead of conspiring with extreme environmental interests, EPA should stop punishing cooperative industry stakeholders and start partnering with them in their current efforts to capture methane in a responsible manner.”
The Environmental Defense Fund disputes that representation of emissions data and says that the 7.3 million metric tons estimated by the EPA show a 3 percent increase over 2012.
Demonstrators Rally at EPA Headquarters Over Porter Ranch Gas Leak Demonstrators rallied outside the EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C. over the months-long gas leak in Porter Ranch. Adrian Arambulo reports for the NBC4 News at Noon on Friday, Jan. 19, 2016. (Published Friday, Jan. 15, 2016)
"There needs to be a requirement frankly that companies do systematic and routine surveys of their operations so that in the event that there is a problem it can be found and fixed," Brownstein said.
A handful of states, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wyoming, have implemented their own regulations for finding and fixing leaks — Pennsylvania announced on Jan. 19 that it would include existing natural gas operations — but others have not.
"I think that's ultimately why you need a federal standard, because some states are going to step up and other states won't," Brownstein said.
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/California-Methane-Leak-Aliso-Canyon-Porter-Ranch-Environmentalists-Other-Leaks-365804391.html
Today at 5:37 am by Rocky
» Iraqi workers celebrate their International Day
Today at 5:35 am by Rocky
» Iraq exports to America more than 4 million barrels of oil
Today at 5:34 am by Rocky
» “Quadruple Summit” regarding the “Development Road” project
Today at 5:33 am by Rocky
» Oil and white products
Today at 5:32 am by Rocky
» Specialists call for monitoring and regulating the entry of foreign workers
Today at 5:31 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Iraq will witness a revolution of projects to invest in water wealth
Today at 5:30 am by Rocky
» Launching funding for the salaries of civilian and military retirees for the month of May
Today at 5:27 am by Rocky
» Parliament reveals Erdogan's position on Iraq's water shares: He did not give clear approval
Today at 5:25 am by Rocky
» Finance launches funding for the salaries of civil and military retirees for the month of May
Today at 5:24 am by Rocky
» It may lead to "dividing the region"... revealing an imminent announcement to postpone the Kurdistan
Today at 5:22 am by Rocky
» The Kurdish opposition addresses Baghdad: Do not respond to the request of the Kurdistan government,
Today at 5:20 am by Rocky
» Sudanese sends gas to Kurdistan after the electricity collapse and the bombing of Kormor
Today at 5:18 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani makes a quick visit to the Interior Ministry and meets with senior officers: Be ready and
Today at 5:16 am by Rocky
» On their International Day.. Iraqi workers: Our rights are absent and our economy is fragile
Today at 5:14 am by Rocky
» Government official: Iraq has become a center for drug trade and smuggling
Today at 5:12 am by Rocky
» Cabinet decisions do not include votes on budget schedules, and Parliament criticizes the delay
Today at 5:10 am by Rocky
» Retired workers complain of poor living conditions
Today at 5:08 am by Rocky
» Al-Issawi renews his commitment to running for parliament: I will submit only to God
Today at 5:06 am by Rocky
» A Kurdish party refuses to settle the salaries of employees in the region's banks and files an accus
Today at 5:05 am by Rocky
» Al-Hakim: Sectarianism in Iraq is not social but political
Today at 5:03 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs the seventh meeting of the Supreme Committee of the Strategic Development Road Proj
Today at 5:01 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani chairs the seventh meeting of the Supreme Committee of the Strategic Development Road Proj
Today at 4:59 am by Rocky
» Finance announces the launch of financing retirees’ salaries
Today at 4:56 am by Rocky
» utube MM&C 5/1/24 Iraqi Dinar - IQD Update - 2024 Budget - Cooperation - Confidence - Al-Sudani -
Yesterday at 7:27 pm by Rocky
» In just two weeks, the Sudanese is awaiting an action plan from the relevant ministries in agreement
Yesterday at 4:35 pm by Rocky
» A thousand dinars every month.. An expert predicts the shape of the final journey of dollar prices
Yesterday at 4:32 pm by Rocky
» Parliamentary Oil: The budget deficit is under control
Yesterday at 4:28 pm by Rocky
» Parliamentary proposals to impose an economic blockade on Iraq
Yesterday at 4:18 pm by Rocky
» His advisor: Al-Sudani succeeded in digital transfer in banks
Yesterday at 4:12 pm by Rocky
» Economist reassures: Financial liquidity is available and there are no risks to the Iraqi dinar
Yesterday at 4:10 pm by Rocky
» Iraq is preparing to bid farewell to the blonde old woman and end the UNAMI mission
Yesterday at 3:46 pm by Bama Diva
» utube MM&C 4/30/24 Projects - Confidence Building - National Bank of Iraq
Yesterday at 8:24 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: The government is serious about moving to a diversified economy and supporting the indust
Yesterday at 8:18 am by Rocky
» Deputy: The dollar exchange rate is still high
Yesterday at 8:12 am by Rocky
» The Finance Committee reveals the total transfers today in Iraq
Yesterday at 8:08 am by Rocky
» Minister of Industry: Iraq does not have iron ores suitable for production and we depend on imports
Yesterday at 8:06 am by Rocky
» “The Dilemma of Economic Decisions”... Implementing a gasoline price increase despite opposition fro
Yesterday at 8:03 am by Rocky
» Ukrainian trade explodes with a “surprise”: Iraq has contracted with a “fake” Ukrainian company to d
Yesterday at 7:55 am by Rocky
» Iraq is preparing to invest in the largest gas field
Yesterday at 7:49 am by Rocky
» An economic expert for Nina: The World Bank’s expectations that Iraq will achieve a high growth rate
Yesterday at 7:43 am by Rocky
» The UAE buys cheaper Iraqi oil to increase its exports of “more expensive crude”
Yesterday at 7:40 am by Rocky
» The largest gas field in Iraq is close to seeing the light: a wealth that will reduce the import bil
Yesterday at 7:39 am by Rocky
» Minister of Resources: Water storage in dams is at its best
Yesterday at 7:37 am by Rocky
» Sadiqoun demands that Taqadum give up all positions in exchange for the presidency of Parliament
Yesterday at 7:33 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani inaugurates the continuous casting factory at the General Company for Steel Industries in
Yesterday at 6:28 am by Rocky
» Iraq exports to America more than 4 million barrels of crude oil and its derivatives in a month
Yesterday at 6:26 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: We are committed to workers’ rights and reconstruction projects will not stop
Yesterday at 6:21 am by Rocky
» The Parliamentary Development Institute organizes a workshop on the right to information law
Yesterday at 6:15 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Integrity: The judiciary is making a great effort to resolve the theft of the century
Yesterday at 6:11 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Finance: The government holds responsible for the delay in sending the budget schedule
Yesterday at 6:07 am by Rocky
» Economist: Iraq faces a shortage of 3.5 million housing units
Yesterday at 6:06 am by Rocky
» Obelisk Hour: Sudanese’s visit to Washington did not address the “American exit”
Yesterday at 6:04 am by Rocky
» Planning clarifies the position on contracts and wages from the job number platform
Yesterday at 6:01 am by Rocky
» New country legalizes cryptocurrencies
Yesterday at 5:57 am by Rocky
» The UAE's Dana Gas announces the resumption of work in the "Kormor" field
Yesterday at 5:55 am by Rocky
» The International Comprehensive Shopping Festival kicks off in an Iraqi governorate
Yesterday at 5:54 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Labor gives good news to the workers: Wait for next week
Yesterday at 5:52 am by Rocky
» Iraq's water storage is at its best... Will it address the agricultural situation?
Yesterday at 5:51 am by Rocky
» The government takes a number of new decisions
Yesterday at 5:49 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Labor announces an increase in the salary of retired workers by 100 thousand dinars
Yesterday at 5:46 am by Rocky
» Al-Sudani: Service projects in Iraq “will not stop”
Yesterday at 5:44 am by Rocky
» 90 percent of it comes from across the border. Parliament unveils a new strategy to limit currency s
Yesterday at 5:39 am by Rocky
» Iraq is implementing a "modern strategy" to get rid of a "Sumerian custom" that depleted the waters
Yesterday at 5:37 am by Rocky
» The Minister of Transport announces the opening of 48 collective lines in six governorates
Yesterday at 5:35 am by Rocky
» The Federal Integrity Commission announced the arrest of waste of public money, violations and manip
Yesterday at 5:34 am by Rocky
» Government Media: 3 million citizens have registered so far on the Ur electronic portal
Yesterday at 5:33 am by Rocky
» Labor Day in Iraq.. 6 million workers with an unknown future and stolen rights, and 90% of them “wit
Yesterday at 5:31 am by Rocky
» Iranian Chamber of Commerce: Iraq's investment budget is 150 billion dollars, and our share in it mu
Yesterday at 5:25 am by Rocky
» On International Workers’ Day... The President of the Republic: We stress the necessity of working t
Yesterday at 5:23 am by Rocky
» Prime Minister: We affirm our commitment to all Iraqi workers, men and women, to provide a work envi
Yesterday at 5:22 am by Rocky
» Progress threatens to withdraw from the political process in the event of infringement on its quota
Yesterday at 5:20 am by Rocky
» Bloomberg: Iraq violated its oil export quota and did not adhere to OPEC+ decisions
Tue Apr 30, 2024 7:23 pm by Rocky
» Al-Sudani stresses the importance of following up on the understandings reached between Iraq and Ame
Tue Apr 30, 2024 4:56 pm by Rocky
» From "everything is imported" to "food made by one's own hands"... Parliamentary reference to Iraq's
Tue Apr 30, 2024 4:51 pm by Rocky
» The government hires an external auditor for the Trade Bank of Iraq
Tue Apr 30, 2024 4:45 pm by Rocky
» Among them relates to the path of development...the full decisions of the Council of Ministers sessi
Tue Apr 30, 2024 4:37 pm by Rocky
» Al-Maliki warns of the Washington Embassy's plans to threaten Iraqi society
Tue Apr 30, 2024 12:51 pm by wciappetta
» utube MM&C 4/28/24 Iraq Dinar - IQD - Banks - Merge Regionally - Water - Labor -Jobs - Dinar Value
Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:44 am by Rocky
» Iraqi Business: There are no financial fears in Iraq for three years, and fear regarding the path of
Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:34 am by Rocky
» Parliament is discussing with the Finance and Retirement Law amending the Landlords Law
Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:27 am by Rocky
» Customs and taxes... Parliamentary Finance talks about huge sums of money that do not enter the stat
Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:23 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Oil threatens to sue the Ministry of Oil over raising gasoline prices
Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:21 am by Rocky
» Iraq begins installing radiation screening gates at border crossings
Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:17 am by Rocky
» Hong Kong launches Asia's first Bitcoin and Ether ETFs
Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:11 am by Rocky
» Al-Mandalawi discusses with the delegation of the Jordanian Senate the achievement of economic integ
Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:07 am by Rocky
» Parliament draws attention to the work of security companies in Iraq and identifies the party concer
Tue Apr 30, 2024 10:59 am by Rocky
» How does a Sudanese choose the countries he visits and what are his messages?
Tue Apr 30, 2024 10:54 am by Rocky
» Baghdad alerts Erbil of a “defect” related to agriculture and requests coordination regarding areas
Tue Apr 30, 2024 10:46 am by Rocky
» State real estate... between Parliament's movements and a new door to corruption
Tue Apr 30, 2024 10:38 am by Rocky
» Economist: The Central Bank committed a massacre against private banks at the expense of foreign one
Tue Apr 30, 2024 10:30 am by Rocky
» Without discussing the agenda, the House of Representatives adjourns its session
Tue Apr 30, 2024 10:20 am by Rocky
» Parliament reveals details of the “Law to replace custodial sentences in exchange for financial sums
Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:52 am by Rocky
» The Sudanese and his battle against corruption.. Where is the fault with the government or with the
Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:40 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary Planning: The Federal Service Law will regulate the work of the public service
Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:30 am by Rocky
» A representative calls for amendments to the 2024 budget tables
Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:23 am by Rocky
» Al-Badri: America bears responsibility for restricting the security services and not providing monit
Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:18 am by Rocky
» State of Law: Sudanese’s recent discussions will impose another reality in relations with Washington
Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:15 am by Rocky
» Parliamentary warning about the delay in sending budget schedules
Tue Apr 30, 2024 8:10 am by Rocky