Methane leakage in the natural gas system serving NYC (through ConEd) is likely already at a level where the methane leaked has as much, or more, climate impact as the remaining approximately 95% of the gas that is burned by consumers.
That’s the conclusion of Gas Safety, Inc., which measured actual methane emissions in a study commissioned by Damascus Citizens for Sustainability (DCS), a grassroots anti-fracking group based in Pennsylvania. Gas Safety’s findings indicate Manhattan sits in an invisible cloud of elevated levels of methane.
The study reviewed existing estimates and estimating procedures of methane emissions by industry, government and other sources (including the EPA/Gas Research Institute 1996 method). Based on those reviews, DCS concludes that those estimates are so inaccurate as to be misleading.
The actual measurements in this report, added to measured production losses and estimated transmission losses, produces a total gas loss above 5%. This number is well above the critical benchmark level of less 3.2%, at which level natural gas no longer retains an advantage over other forms of fossil fuels with regard to climate change.
Since natural gas is 93% methane, and methane is more than 20 times more potent a greenhouse gas (GHG) than CO2, the level of leakage shows that natural gas should not be considered a “bridge fuel”.
Gas Safety recorded emission data during a 160-mile survey on Manhattan streets, using a Picarro device equipped with Cavity Ring-Down Laser Spectrometer measuring equipment.
In addition climate change, there are other issues with natural gas:
• the extra cost to consumers of loss of product;
•damage to trees and other organisms;
• the danger of explosion and toxicity to underground workers; and
• the public health threat of constantly escaping natural gas evidenced by elevated methane levels. (Remember, natural gas is a mixture of mostly methane, but also varying quantities of BETX, PAH, other VOCs, H2S, CO2 and radioactive radon and radon decay products.)
Because natural gas generates less carbon dioxide when burned, it has been considered a cleaner energy source than other fossil fuels. However, to look at the emission levels from burning alone is to hide natural gas’ total greenhouse impact.
If only some methane leaks into the atmosphere during extraction, transport and delivery to the consumer, then what had been assumed was a small carbon footprint is in reality a highly significant footprint.
The report is available at: http://www.