Methane emissions from Pennsylvania’s oil and gas sites may be more than five times higher than what oil and gas companies report to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, according to an analysis by the Environmental Defense Fund. The MacArthur-supported report shows more than five million tons of methane pollution could be emitted by 2025 if the state fails to act. Methane is both a powerful climate pollutant and the primary ingredient of natural gas. The analysis finds that oil and gas operators in Pennsylvania emit more than 520,000 tons of methane a year from leaky, outdated, and malfunctioning equipment. That wasted gas causes the same near-term climate pollution as 11 coal-fired power plants, and results in nearly $68 million worth of wasted energy resources.
