Energy Exchange

Blending green hydrogen is a wasteful detour on Illinois’ path to clean energy

By Curt Stokes & Sonya Jindal

  • Hydrogen blending is a poor choice for Illinois’s gas pipelines as 70% of the energy content would be lost before it reaches buildings, making direct electrification with renewable energy and efficient heat pumps a far better option.
  • A 20% hydrogen blend would reduce emissions from gas-heated buildings by only 5% while consuming nearly 8 times more electricity than efficient heat pumps.

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Also posted in General, Illinois / Authors: / Comments are closed

Colorado needs a rule strong enough for more than 60,000 miles of pipelines

By Nini Gu & Magdalen Sullivan

  • The Colorado PUC is developing advanced leak detection & repair standards for pipelines – they should adopt comprehensive standards to address safety and environmental protection across the state’s extensive network of gas pipelines.
  • Strong pipeline leak detection and repair standards will improve community safety, help Colorado meet its climate goals and potentially inspire other states’ leaders and agencies to take action.

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Also posted in Air Quality, Colorado, Methane / Authors: / Comments are closed

A Tale of Two Basins: Colorado regional oil and gas pollution differences highlight need for action on the West Slope

By Nini Gu

Data recently collected by EDF’s MethaneAIR project in 2023 reveals a striking difference in the emissions profiles between the two major Colorado basins: the Denver-Julesburg (D-J) in the east, and the Piceance in the west. The D-J Basin exhibited a 1.7% methane loss rate from the total natural gas produced; by contrast, the loss rate for the Piceance Basin hit 7%, a high figure among all surveyed basins.  

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Also posted in Colorado, Methane, Methane regulatons / Authors: / Comments are closed

Colorado again leads the way with methane verification protocol

By Nini Gu

Developing more accurate emissions inventories with real-world measurement data of oil and gas climate pollution is key to verifying our progress toward addressing climate change.

Earlier this month, the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division achieved a major breakthrough to do just that when it finalized its Greenhouse Gas Intensity Verification Protocol, marking the first time a government agency has created a comprehensive framework for measurement, reporting and verification of methane emissions at oil and gas production sites.

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Also posted in Colorado, Methane regulatons / Authors: / Comments are closed

Why Texas’ attempt to delay commonsense methane protections will only shoot itself – and the US oil and gas industry – in the foot.

By Elizabeth Lieberknecht

Texas’ primary oil and gas regulator, the Texas Railroad Commission, took the unfortunate — though not surprising — step last month of requesting legal action against EPA’s recently finalized commonsense methane rules. This is unfortunate because, once implemented, these rules will protect public health, limit climate change and energy waste. It is not surprising because the RRC (Texas’ oddly named oil and gas regulatory agency) has shown little interest in trying to rein in Texas’ massive problem with oil and gas methane pollution. Texas emits more oil and gas methane pollution than any other state. Despite repeated calls for more oversight from the state agency, the RRC continues to regularly approve permits to flare natural gas, a leading cause of methane pollution.  

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Also posted in Air Quality, Methane regulatons, Texas / Authors: / Comments are closed

Northwestern analysis provides more information on the need for ACT in Illinois

This blog was co-authored by José Acosta-Córdova, Senior Transportation Policy Analyst at LVEJO

Transportation is a big issue in Illinois, accounting for almost one-third of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions — the sector responsible for the most GHG emissions in the state. Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, such as delivery vans, transit buses and large tractor-trailers are a disproportionate contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, but also other emissions like nitrogen oxide and particulate matter that directly harm the health of Illinoisans. Despite making up less than 10% of on-road vehicles, these trucks and buses are responsible for 67% of NOx and 59% of PM.

Advocates in the state have long been calling for Gov. Pritzker to move forward on key policies to advance zero-emission trucks and buses.  Chief among them is the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation, which requires manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission trucks and school buses.

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Also posted in Electric Vehicles, Illinois / Authors: / Comments are closed