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And if this is true for methane, co-emitted hydrocarbon gases are likely underestimated as well.Īirborne measurements by NOAA suggest that the EPA methane estimates may be applicable to older, mature shale areas with mostly natural gas production. In fact, both satellite and atmospheric measurements suggest that the EPA estimates could be underestimating real-world methane emissions by up to a factor of two.

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The EPA keeps track of methane emissions in its greenhouse gas inventory, but the numbers are based upon estimates developed in the 1980s and 1990s and are compiled through calculations and self-reporting by the industry. And thus a significant body of literature has developed since 2013, much of which focuses on methane emissions, the main component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas. Researchers began to investigate hydrocarbon emissions from fracking operations in earnest. In 2011, a paper argued that methane emissions from unconventional sources compared to conventional oil and gas exploration were being significantly underestimated.

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Together with nitrogen oxides emissions, largely from diesel engines in trucks, compressors and drilling rigs, these hydrocarbons can form significant amounts of harmful, ground-level ozone during daytime. They enter the atmosphere from leaks at valves, pipes, separators and compressors, or through exhaust vents on tanks. Each requires the transportation of water, chemicals and equipment to and from these pads as well as the removal of wastewater, and none is regulated like any larger facility would be.Īs a result, unconventional production has not only increased truck traffic and related emissions in shale areas, but also established a renewed source of hydrocarbons. In the age of fracking, the large operations at conventional well sites have been replaced by hundreds of well pads dotting the landscape. Nevertheless, wherever hydrocarbons are produced, refined or stored, there will be some emissions of pollutants. However, through regulations and technological innovation, we have reduced this source dramatically in the last 30 years, approximately by a factor of 10. The production, distribution and use of hydrocarbons have always led to some emissions into the air, either directly via (intended or accidental) leaks, or during incomplete combustion of fuels. Scientists have turned to satellites and other ways to measure methane emissions which can be higher in areas of oil and gas production. Arguably, the more relevant environmental effects are wastewater handling and disposal, as well as the release of vapors from oil and gas storage and distribution. The hydraulic fracturing process itself, aside from its large demand for water, is possibly the least environmentally impactful step along the complete operational chain of drilling for hydrocarbons. It is actually a combination of techniques, including hydraulic fracturing, that has allowed drillers to draw hydrocarbons from rock formations which were once not profitable to tap.ĭrillers shatter layers of shale rock with high-pressure water, sand and chemicals to start the flow of hydrocarbons from a well.

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Upstream emissionsįracking is a term that can stir strong emotions among its opponents and proponents. While much discussion has surrounded methane emissions, a greenhouse gas, less attention has been paid to air toxics. The “fracking boom” in several different parts of the nation led to a new source of hydrocarbons to the atmosphere, affecting abundances of both toxic benzene and ozone, including in areas that were not previously affected much by such air pollution.Īs a result, in recent years there has been a spike of research to determine what the extent of emissions are from fracked oil and gas wells – called “unconventional” sources in the industry. has been decreasing near continuously since the 1970s.įederal regulations, notably the Clean Air Act passed by President Nixon, to reduce toxic air pollutants such as benzene, a hydrocarbon, and ozone, a strong oxidant, effectively lowered their abundance in ambient air with steady progress.īut about 10 years ago, the picture on air pollutants in the U.S. Schade, Texas A&M University College of Geosciences, for The Conversation

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Fracked utah rock formation