Carnegie Mellon University

Scientists collaborating with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have found that methane emissions from the U.S. oil and natural gas supply chain exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's estimates by nearly 60%.

June 21, 2018

The Great Escape: Super Emitters

By Lisa Kulick

Scientists collaborating with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) have found that methane emissions from the U.S. oil and natural gas supply chain exceed the Environmental Protection Agency's estimates by nearly 60%. The findings were published today in the journal Science. 

Carnegie Mellon University's Professor Allen L. Robinson, head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, was one of the researchers involved with the study. Although the findings reveal important gaps in the federal government's Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, he believes it offers an opportunity.

"With some modest adjustments, we can really improve the effectiveness of these [reporting] programs to ensure that companies provide the most valuable and accurate data to guide future decision making,” he said.

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