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Satellite data confirms what frontline communities have been saying for years: methane leaks are a serious problem in the San Joaquin Valley.
New analysis of observations collected by MethaneSAT during 2024 and 2025 shows that the oil and gas operations in the San Joaquin Basin emit 18 tonnes of methane every hour, roughly 20% higher than estimated by the U.S. EPA’s inventory, and twice as high as the state figures from the California Air Resources Board.
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, with over 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide in the 20 years after it is released into the atmosphere.
The likely reason for these high emissions sits within California air quality rules: an outdated provision in leak detection requirements that exempts thousands of wells producing so-called “heavy oil.” The new findings present regulators with a ripe opportunity to correct the crucial omission.
Massive Loophole Undercuts Strong Regulations
CARB has regulated methane from the oil and gas industry since 2018, making significant progress reducing emissions from storage tanks, intentionally polluting equipment such as gas-driven pneumatic pumps and controllers and other sources. In fact, the state has some of the strongest leak detection and repair standards in the country.
But there’s a decade-old loophole in the rules: wells producing heavy oil are exempt from regular leak detection and repair requirements, based on 1990s figures incorrectly indicating that such wells were responsible for less than one percent of all emissions leaking from infrastructure in the state.
That’s a surprising figure given that tar-like heavy oil accounts for over 60% of the state’s active wells and two-thirds of current oil production. As a result of the loophole, operators of more than 27,000 heavy oil-producing wells are exempt from state inspection requirements.
New Technology and Methods Show a Fuller Picture
CARB exempted heavy oil wells from inspections in 2018 based on industry-reported emissions collected in 1993 and 1995. CARB created the exemption without access to modern methane measurement tools, but since then, new technologies make it much easier to collect accurate data.
In just the last decade, aircraft and satellites have revolutionized our ability to measure emissions of methane, and researchers can now use handheld detectors and mobile monitoring units that can accurately characterize emissions from low-producing wells.
The agency has made major strides incorporating new tools into its methane monitoring system via the California Methane Satellite Project and Carbon Mapper, building a successful track record of finding and limiting the largest methane leaks. CARB’s approach to addressing the largest leaks is cutting-edge and sets the standard for U.S. states.
However, improvements are needed to better assess emissions from low-producing well sites. A recent study found that smaller sources (less than 100 kilograms per hour) dispersed over wider areas account for over 80% of total oil and gas methane emissions in the San Joaquin production basin.
Assuming the average emission rate observed by MethaneSAT is constant, annual oil and gas methane emissions in the region would be over 157,000 tonnes. That’s enough natural gas to supply 220,000 California households for a year, and with more near-term climate impact than continuously running three coal-fired power plants.
The new MethaneSAT observations confirm the prevalence of dispersed emissions from smaller sources, such as the region’s many heavy oil wells which have never been subject to regular inspections under state law.
On-the-ground leak detection work by the organization FracTracker underscores the problem with heavy oil wells: a 2022 investigation in Bakersfield uncovered 49 low-producing and idle heavy oil wells leaking methane — exempt from the state’s leak detection and repair standards.
Additional analysis of the region’s emissions sources continues to implicate heavy oil. A first look at where San Joaquin oil and gas methane is coming from finds that exempted wells may contribute roughly half of total observed emissions — a significantly larger share than the “less than 1%” estimate that informed the inspection exemption.
This loophole exposes communities living near oil and gas production to hazardous air pollutants such as benzene and toluene. Ozone-forming volatile organic compounds emitted alongside methane degrade the San Joaquin Valley’s air quality. In response to these persistent health threats, community organizations have conducted leak inspection work themselves using optical gas imaging cameras that make methane leaks visible.
“Of the 95 wells and tanks we did independent inspections of using our OGI cameras, 38% were leaking,” said Cesar Aguirre, Director of the Air and Climate Justice Team at Central California Environmental Justice Network. “We’ve been told too many times by the air district and ARB that they are unable to enforce repairs because of the heavy oil exemption in the state’s methane regulations. These leaks are more than just abstract contributions to the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. They represent real health impacts to community members, including increasing their cancer risks and adding to respiratory stress and disease for my friends, family, and community who are already living in the most polluted air in America.”
Looking ahead: closing loopholes and meeting federal standards
Governor Gavin Newsom has repeatedly pushed for ambitious international leadership to tackle climate change and set an expectation for California to stay in the global forefront of climate action. Ending their outdated leak detection and repair exemption can help meet the state’s climate objectives.
Unfortunately, the emissions inventory CARB uses to track methane progress was built using an approach that has well-documented flaws. Moreover, their emissions figures are built from the same 1990s data that rationalized the heavy oil exemption.
Annualizing MethaneSAT’s measurements finds that oil and gas emissions in the San Joaquin alone are twice as high as CARB’s 2023 estimates for the region’s oil and gas industry. It’s impossible to accurately measure progress towards climate targets when the yardstick is broken. Constructing a more accurate emissions inventory and closing the heavy oil exemption should be high on CARB’s priority list.
In May 2025, CARB presented a timeline to adopt a state plan consistent with the 2024 U.S. EPA methane rule and strengthen standards for existing sources which includes closing the loophole for heavy oil wells. But in November 2025, the Trump administration delayed state plan deadlines to January 2027.
CARB will need to move a plan forward this year to meet that deadline. Despite recent turbulence, CARB has excellent near-term opportunities to clean up California’s oil and gas sector.
By closing the heavy oil inspection loophole, it’s possible to reduce pollution and energy waste without affecting consumer prices at the pump or on their electricity bills. Strengthening standards only costs pennies on the dollar while delivering major climate and air pollution benefits.
They should not wait.
Across the country, regulators are making decisions that will shape the energy system for decades as they navigate rising energy costs, growing electricity demand, grid modernization and the accelerating energy transition. Meaningful public participation helps build stronger evidentiary records, improve accountability and lead to better outcomes for communities.
I recently joined Carolyn Parrs on her Just Power podcast to discuss why community voices matter in energy decision making and what regulators, utilities and advocates can do to help ensure those voices are heard. One message stood out: an open door is not the same as a seat at the table.
Most utility regulatory proceedings are open to the public. Anyone can attend a hearing, submit comments or follow a case. But meaningful participation requires more than access.
As a former utility commissioner, I saw firsthand how difficult it can be for community members to engage in complex regulatory proceedings. For residents already balancing work, family responsibilities and rising energy costs, participation can feel out of reach.
Strong records require diverse perspectives
Consider a grandmother who cannot afford to run her air conditioner during a heat wave and must sit in dangerous heat to keep her utility bill manageable. That story may never appear in a technical filing, but it provides critical information about how energy decisions affect real people.
Community members bring perspectives that data alone cannot capture. Technical data in energy proceedings gains meaning when combined with the experiences of people living with the consequences of regulators’ decisions, helping regulators understand the practical impacts of utility investments and energy policies.
Strong decisions require strong evidentiary records, and strong records are based on diverse perspectives.
Participation must start before decisions are made
To participate meaningfully, communities must be brought into the conversation before key choices are made, while their input can still shape outcomes. That requires providing clear information in multiple languages, sharing it through trusted communication channels and creating opportunities for participation that fit people’s daily lives.
Meetings should be held at times and locations that work for working families, caregivers and community leaders. People should not have to travel long distances or navigate complicated processes simply to understand decisions that will affect their lives. Meaningful engagement requires meeting people where they are and creating practical opportunities for participation.
Being heard matters
Being heard does not mean every recommendation is adopted. It means communities can see how their perspectives were evaluated and understand why decisions were made.
People deserve to know how their concerns are considered and addressed. Regulators may not agree with every recommendation raised during a proceeding, but participants should be able to see how their comments informed the final decision. Without evidence that their concerns were considered, communities’ trust erodes. Opposition to utility plans may increase. That is why meaningful participation requires transparency, responsiveness and accountability.
Progress is possible
Progress is possible when regulators intentionally reduce barriers to community participation in energy proceedings. In Massachusetts, recommendations from the stakeholder report Overly Impacted and Rarely Heard helped spur several important reforms, including an intervenor compensation program to support community participation in regulatory proceedings, expanded public outreach efforts and new resources to help residents better understand regulatory processes.
Massachusetts also strengthened language access at public hearings, established resources to help residents navigate regulatory proceedings and added environmental justice expertise to the Energy Facilities Siting Board. These reforms demonstrate that participation barriers can be overcome through thoughtful policy changes and sustained commitment.
Other states can learn from and adapt the Massachusetts progress. At a time when commissions across the country are confronting similar challenges, sharing lessons learned and building on proven approaches can help improve energy decision-making nationwide.
Building community voices in energy
Environmental Defense Fund is helping support strong energy decisions through Community Voices in Energy, a growing platform that provides resources, case studies and examples from across the country. Our goal is to help advocates, community leaders and residents better understand energy issues and participate more effectively in regulatory processes.
As the energy transition accelerates, states will be the focus of consequential decisions about affordability, reliability, who will be affected by infrastructure investments and who will have access to the benefits of a modernized electric grid. The people most affected by those decisions deserve meaningful opportunities to participate, be heard and help shape outcomes.
An open door is important. A seat at the table is better. But the strongest decisions are made when community voices help shape the conversation from the start.
Learn more about EDF’s Community Voices in Energy initiative at communityvoicesinenergy.org. Join our LinkedIn group to engage with others on this topic and to hear or share the Just Power podcast conversation.
Medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles are hitting the road in 2026, and we’ve collected last month’s most exciting news. In 2025, EDF delivered monthly deployment updates on the biggest zero-emission transportation stories. By the end of 2025, it was clear that momentum was sustained throughout a challenging year. This year will undoubtedly see more big announcements, and we’ll be here to showcase the biggest orders and deployments of zero-emission trucks happening around the country.
May announcements included continued adoption of zero-emission refuse vehicles on the west coast, along with Tesla receiving bulk orders for their new semi from several California carriers.
City of Issaquah and Recology announce new all-electric waste collection vehicles
The City of Issaquah has announced the deployment of two electric waste collection vehicles through its contracted waste hauler, Recology. The trucks are the first fully integrated side-loading waste vehicles in Washington state. The vehicles were requested during contract negotiations with Recology after feedback from city residents.
Tesla Semi gets largest order yet with WattEV’s 370-truck deal
WattEV announced an order of 370 Tesla Semi trucks, making it the largest single order of heavy-duty electric trucks in California to date. The first 50 vehicles are scheduled for delivery in 2026, with the full fleet expected to be operational by the end of 2027. WattEV cited the truck’s cost, performance and availability as factors in the purchase decision.
City of Long Beach deploys first-ever zero-emissions collections trucks
The City of Long Beach has launched a pilot program featuring its first two electric refuse collection trucks to evaluate the feasibility of transitioning to a fully zero-emission waste collection fleet. The program includes one large truck operating on standard routes and one smaller truck serving alley routes. The pilot will assess key performance factors such as payload capacity, operating time per charge and route completion reliability. City officials aim to determine whether electric trucks can match the performance of the current fleet before moving to broader adoption.
Tesla Semi lands 60-truck order from port drayage fleets in California
Two California port trucking companies, Big F Transport and NICA Container Freight Line, have ordered a combined 60 Tesla Semi trucks through charging infrastructure provider Forum Mobility, making it one of the largest Tesla Semi commitments in the port drayage industry to date. Big F Transport ordered 40 trucks, while NICA Container ordered 20. The trucks will operate from Forum Mobility’s new charging depot in Rancho Dominguez, California, scheduled to open in early 2027. The facility will include 14 megawatt-class chargers and support more than 200 zero-emission trucks.
Now is a critical time for fleets to invest in medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks. These vehicles improve public health and help combat the climate crisis by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Unlike traditional diesel-powered trucks, electric trucks produce no tailpipe emissions, which significantly cuts down on health-harming pollution. At the same time, these vehicles can help fleets manage exposure to volatile fuel prices and improve long-term operating cost stability. Adoption represents a key step toward a more sustainable and resilient transportation industry.
Check back here next month to see a collection of the most exciting zero-emission vehicle announcements from June. In the meantime, check out EDF’s Electric Fleet Deployment & Commitment List to track announcements as they happen in real time, and view all May announcements.
Check out last month’s announcements here.
By David Lyon, PhD
The second annual Appalachian Methane Initiative report offers two different tales for one basin: several operators of higher-producing, unconventional wells have successfully mitigated their methane emissions, while operators of lower-producing conventional wells have disproportionately high loss rates.
According to the study: unconventional wells have an average loss rate of just 0.09%, while conventional wells have an 18.3% loss rate — that’s 200 times higher. This lopsided phenomenon is particularly stark given that conventional wells account for 97% of active wells but just 2% of the region’s gas production and more than 60% of its emissions.
Conventional wells are oil and gas wells that are drilled vertically to tap a reservoir of oil and/or gas. Hydraulic fracturing is sometimes used for production.
Unconventional wells are oil and gas wells that are drilled vertically and horizontally to release oil and/or gas contained within shale rock formations. Hydraulic fracturing is always used for production.
Importantly, operators participating in AMI demonstrate that very low methane intensity is achievable, reinforcing that the region’s emissions challenge is concentrated among higher-emitting, often marginal and conventional wells.
As domestic and international buyers seek cleaner sources of energy, developing accurate, measurement-based inventories for natural gas by region and operator is critical for the integrity of differentiated natural gas markets.
About the study
AMI is a collaborative, multi-year research study designed to understand methane emissions in the Appalachian Basin. It is led by the Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, managed by SLR, and consists of four full-member operators, including CNX Resources, EQT Corporation, MPLX and Seneca Resources, as well as two data-contributing operators, Ascent Resources and Expand Energy Corporation. All of the operators have upstream and/or midstream assets in the Appalachian Basin. Together, the operators produce over 50% of the total gas production in the Basin.
Emission profiles in Appalachia can be complicated and complex to measure due to the numerous methane sources, including oil and gas wells, coal mines and landfills, located in mountainous, forested terrain.
The 2026 study integrated multi-scale measurements to quantify methane emissions, including aerial measurements by three companies (Bridger Photonics, Insight M and ChampionX). AMI estimates that the region’s methane loss rate is 0.52% of natural gas production (95% CI: 0.30-0.62%), similar to an analysis of MethaneSAT data collected between 2024 and 2025 which found a loss rate of 0.6%.
The findings reaffirm earlier studies and underscore that the outsized emissions contribution of low-producing, conventional wells in Appalachia may be far greater than previously understood. EDF’s groundbreaking 2022 study found that marginal wells nationally were responsible for about half of all emissions.
Methane waste in Appalachia matters
Considering methane’s potency and warming power, allowing low-producing wells a pass to pollute supercharges climate change in the near term. It also stands to hurt the region’s bottom line.
As global and domestic markets begin to demand cleaner and transparent sources of energy, failing to address the loss rate of methane gas (also known as methane intensity) harms the economic competitiveness of Appalachian energy companies. In a world currently dealing with energy instability, cutting waste and bringing that gas to market can ease supply chain concerns.
Low-producing, conventional wells are a big problem, but also a big opportunity.
The AMI study demonstrates that making significant cuts in methane emissions is possible, but to get at oil and gas industry’s methane problem, we simply cannot afford to ignore such a large source of emissions. Operators of Appalachia’s unconventional wells have proven they can tackle leaks. It’s time for conventional operators to do the same instead of dragging the entire region’s emissions portfolio down with them.
Over the last decade, the number of warehouses across the nation has exploded. In Illinois alone, there are almost 7,000 warehouses larger than 30,000 square feet with a combined area of more than 1 billion square feet. More than one in four people in Illinois now live within half a mile of a warehouse.
The new Illinois Warehouse Boom report examines the impact these truck-attracting warehouses have on communities across the state. The report includes information on the demographics of the communities near these warehouses, while estimating the negative health impacts of living in close proximity to these facilities.
Warehouses tend to be disproportionately located in communities of color, bringing vehicle traffic, mainly made up of polluting diesel trucks. These state-defined environmental justice communities cover 1.3% of the state but contain 41% of warehouses. Our report finds that the mega-warehouses (100,000 square feet or larger), prevalent in these communities, generate an estimated 683,000 truck trips a day.
Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles are disproportionate polluters: Despite only being 7% of on-road vehicles they emit 67% of the transportation sector’s nitrogen oxide emissions and 59% of particulate matter — these pollutants increase instances of asthma, and PM 2.5 alone will result in an estimated $4.8 billion in public health costs in 2026.
Despite the harm warehouses cause to the communities they are sited in, there is currently no method or database to track warehouses. While the U.S. Energy Information Agency contains information on polluting facilities such as oil refineries or power plants; there is no federal or state data base for facilities that attract pollution instead of producing it directly. Due to the lack of regulation, it is extremely difficult to learn the location of warehouses or who operates them. EDF used a private database in the analysis, but private databases tend to be expensive, limited in scope and have burdensome terms of service for sharing data. Therefore, as things currently stand, communities lack the means to monitor the facilities in their own backyard.
To address the pollution and lack of transparency from warehouses, the Clear the Air Coalition, which EDF is part of, is supporting the Warehouse Pollution Reduction Act. The act would address the impacts of warehouses by establishing an Indirect Source Rule — a measure that seeks to regulate facilities indirectly responsible for pollution. In addition to Illinois, other states such as New York, New Jersey and Colorado are considering their own ISR rules.
California has already implemented the policy in the South Coast Air Quality Management District. According to South Coast’s most recent analysis, its ISR program resulted in reductions of 1.5 tons of NOx pollution and 0.33 tons of particulate matter. The program is on track to result in 300 fewer deaths, 5,800 fewer asthma attacks and $2.7 billion in reduced health costs by 2031. The success of California’s program makes a strong case for Illinois to adopt their own ISR.
The key provisions of the Warehouse Pollution Reduction Act are:
Illinoisans are already paying the cost of diesel pollution impacts. It’s time for achievable, life-saving pollution reduction through the Warehouse Pollution Reduction Act.
Co-Authored by Harish Makarim, EDF Legal and Regulatory Extern
Electrification is accelerating across the United States. Homes are switching from gas to electric appliances, electric vehicles are scaling rapidly and new clean energy projects, data centers and manufacturing are facilities coming online. But in many places, long grid connection times have become a major bottleneck that threatens to slow this transition.
This final step in electrification, known as energization, is where delays can block project completion. Even the most ambitious clean energy goals stall when new connections or upgrades take months or years to complete, with upstream upgrades driving a large share of the delay. Energization delays can hold up housing development, prevent EV charging deployment, slow clean energy projects and increase costs for customers and utilities alike.
Rapid energization is not just a technical issue. It is central to making electrification affordable and reliable. If timelines remain slow and unpredictable, electrification will become more expensive, more frustrating and less equitable, especially for customers with fewer resources to navigate delays.
Timeline tracking makes delays visible
Energization delays persist in part because they are often invisible. Customers may experience long waits, but utilities, regulators and policymakers often lack consistent data showing where delays occur, how long they last and who controls each step. In many jurisdictions, energization timelines are not tracked consistently, leaving regulators without a clear view of where delays occur.
Energization involves multiple phases: application review, engineering design, permitting, construction, inspection and final connection. Some of these steps depend on customers or local governments, while others fall under utility control. Without clear tracking, delays are often attributed to complexity even when utility processes are the primary cause. Even steps assigned to customers or local governments are often shaped by utility processes, from application clarity to coordination and review timelines.
Timeline tracking addresses this problem by introducing transparency and accountability. By measuring and publicly reporting how long each step takes, utilities and regulators can identify bottlenecks, compare performance across service territories and focus improvement efforts where they matter most.
California’s Public Utilities Commission recently became the first regulator in the country to adopt energization timeline tracking requirements, recognizing that electrification goals require measurable expectations for grid connection. Other states are beginning to follow. Colorado and Illinois have enacted legislation directing regulators to collect and use energization data, while Washington, D.C. requires tracking of EV charging timelines as part of its infrastructure planning. In New York, Con Edison has incorporated energization timelines into performance incentives for transportation electrification, with broader tracking under consideration. Together, these efforts reflect growing recognition that timely grid connection is critical to electrification.
EDF’s design recommendations for timeline tracking
Timeline tracking is necessary but not sufficient to accelerate energization. EDF’s analysis shows that impact depends on how regulators design these systems. Key decisions about what to measure and how to define timelines will determine whether tracking documents delays or drives improvement.
Grid connections must be faster
Electrification will only succeed if customers can connect to the grid quickly, affordably and reliably. Delays do not just slow projects, they increase financing risk, raise project costs and ultimately show up in customer bills. Energization delays are solvable, but fixing them requires visibility, accountability and intentional reform.
Timeline tracking is a foundational step. By making delays measurable and transparent, it gives utilities and regulators the tools they need to identify bottlenecks, improve performance and accelerate the clean energy transition.
