New EPA clean power standard highlights need for methane regulations

We at PennFuture were thrilled about the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) announcement last week of the proposed standard to limit carbon pollution from existing power plants. As we discussed, this rule is likely to have the most impact on the oldest, dirtiest coal plants because they can't compete with relatively newer coal plants, natural gas plants and other more competitive electric power resources. 

But with more natural gas production on the way -- and the attendant methane leakage -- this Christian Science Monitor article raised an important question: Are we trading one climate killer (carbon dioxide) for another (methane)?

Since natural gas burns much cleaner than coal, producing about half as much carbon dioxide, making the switch from coal to gas can go a long way to achieving the rest of the remaining reductions, the administration seems to be thinking.

The big problem is that we don’t know what’s happening with methane emissions. Natural gas, which is essentially methane (CH4), may burn cleaner than coal, but what happens when it isn’t burned? As a greenhouse gas, methane emitted into the atmosphere is more than 20 times as potent as carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.

Natural gas production leaks methane along its entire supply chain – from drilling to storing, processing to distributing. 

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Natural gas may still have a climate benefit over coal. And even if it doesn’t right now, methane leakage could turn out to be a very fixable problem, as engineers figure out how to plug the leaks in the supply chain. 

As the author points out, fugitive methane emissions are something we can address. But we must act now. Methane leakage can be significantly and cost-effectively controlled with proper equipment and robust monitoring and repair. Colorado recently put in place the nation’s most comprehensive regulations to control air emissions from oil and gas operations, including the first direct state regulation of methane. 

Next door, Ohio now also requires natural gas drillers to conduct quarterly inspections to find and fix leaks wherever they might occur. 

Pennsylvania can, and should, be a national leader on methane. Other states have set the bar, and energy companies are meeting their tough new requirements. There’s no reason why it can’t happen here. 

Andrew Sharp is Director of Outreach for PennFuture and is based in Philadelphia. He tweets at @RexBainbridge.