<
https://gizmodo.com/feds-are-downplaying-methane-leaks-in-americas-biggest-oil-field-satellite-data-suggests-2000736269>
"Fossil fuel extraction is a known source of methane leaks, releasing large
amounts of this potent greenhouse gas into the atmosphere. Yet the
Environmental Protection Agency appears to be drastically underreporting
emissions from the nation’s largest oil-producing region.
Nearly half of U.S. oil comes from the Permian Basin in West Texas and
southeastern New Mexico. The region generates more than $100 billion annually
for the U.S. economy, and apparently, a whole lot of methane, too. A recent
report from MethaneSAT—a methane-sensing satellite that observed Earth from
March 2024 to June 2025—found emissions from the Permian Basin to be nearly
four times higher than the EPA’s official estimates.
On Wednesday, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the ranking member of the
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, announced he would be launching
an investigation into this stark discrepancy.
“The inconsistency between emissions reported to EPA’s Greenhouse [Gas]
Inventory and satellite data suggest that significant, previously unreported
emissions may be occurring,” the senator said in a statement. As a result,
“substantial opportunities exist to reduce waste, improve operational
efficiency, and mitigate climate change.”
The EPA did not provide answers to
Gizmodo’s questions by the time of
publication."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
