Green Facts

Natural gas has received a lot of attention recently as a politically palatable, cleaner fossil fuel that can be counted on to transition the United States off its coal addiction. But the rosy outlook is wilting in the face of new research into the pollution created in the natural gas drilling process.

Though still considered as much as 33 percent cleaner than coal, it’s far less efficient than was thought just a year ago.

Each year billions of cubic feet of climate-changing greenhouse gasses, the equivalent of the annual emissions from 35 million automobiles, seeps from loose natural gas pipe valves or are intentionally vented into the atmosphere. Not only is that leakage bad for the environment, but that leaked gas would be worth $2.1 billion a year at current prices.

In addition, natural gas drilling emissions account for a fifth of human-caused methane – considered among the most damaging gasses – in the world’s atmosphere.

Source: Environmental Protection Agency; World Bank