New satellite data show that methane emissions from fossil fuels are rising even faster than the global rebound in oil production. The satellite analysis firm Karryos said that in the Permian Basin, methane emissions rose 33 percent in the first quarter of 2022, and jumped 47 percent compared to the first quarter of 2021.
The report found that “emissions from the Permian, Appalachian and Anadarko fossil fuel basins, accounting for a large share of total US onshore production, reached their highest level in three years in [the first quarter of 2022].” Karryos added that oil and gas field activity indicate that even more methane emissions increases could be in store for the rest of the year.
The report suggests that oil and gas companies may be paying less attention to responsible production as they increase drilling.
Six months ago, more than 100 countries signed on to the Global Methane Pledge, promising to cut methane emissions by 30 percent by 2030. But Karryos has tracked 70 “super-emitter” events in the U.S. so far this year—compared to 105 events in all of 2021.
Quick hits
Biden administration to hold oil lease sale on public lands this week
At some point, we have to have a two-pronged strategy … much more of a focus on renewables and then cleaning up the damn mess that we’re gonna leave behind. And I gotta tell you, this mess from oil and gas is going to be horrendous.”
On today’s virtual field trip, @USFWS biologist Alison Williams takes us up north to a wildlife refuge that provides a vital haven between the Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean. Izembek Refuge: Unangax̂ homeland, globally important bird area, wetland of international importance, migration hot spot, and critical habitat for vulnerable and imperiled species. At the heart of the refuge is Izembek Lagoon, with one of the largest eelgrass beds in the world.
📷 Izembek Refuge mountains by Alison Williams/USFWS
(featured image: Flaring in Eddy County, NM. Blake Thornberry, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
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As President-elect Donald Trump announces his choices for high-level positions in his administration, his environmental plans are coming into focus. Former New York congressman Lee Zeldin will head the Environmental Protection Agency. During Zeldin’s time in the House, he voted against clean air legislation at least a half dozen times and against clean water bills […]
On the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay, about 30 miles outside of Washington, D.C., a new wildlife refuge has been in the works for over a decade. The proposed Southern Maryland Woodlands National Wildlife Refuge would protect four separate watershed areas covering up to 40,000 acres. These protected areas would span a total boundary of over […]
Department of the Interior officials attended a community meeting Friday to gather feedback on the proposal to designate Chuckwalla National Monument, signaling that the administration is interested in moving forward with a monument designation. Attendees included BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning and Acting Deputy Interior Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. An estimated 700 people attended the meeting, and […]
On Monday, the Biden administration announced its approval of ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil and gas project in Alaska, a “carbon bomb” that is projected to produce up to 287 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over the next 30 years. While the administration also announced a proposed rulemaking to end future oil and gas lease sales in parts of the National […]
The oil and gas leasing report requested by the White House and produced by the Interior Department last November only mentioned climate change directly three times, despite making a number of valuable recommendations to reform the federal leasing program. Some conservation groups want to know why. The Montana Environmental Information Center, Center for Biological Diversity and WildEarth Guardians filed a […]
At some point, we have to have a two-pronged strategy … much more of a focus on renewables and then cleaning up the damn mess that we’re gonna leave behind. And I gotta tell you, this mess from oil and gas is going to be horrendous.”