Energy Exchange

Landmark study reveals that millions of Americans live less than a mile from an orphaned oil and gas well

By Adam Peltz & Kate Roberts

This week, the Department of the Interior announced nearly $660 million in grant funding to plug orphan wells across the U.S., adding to $560 million in initial funding from last summer. The news comes on the heels of new research led by researchers at McGill University and EDF experts that quantifies the extent of the orphan well problem this funding will begin to tackle.

The study found that at least 4.6 million people are living within about a half mile of an orphaned oil and gas well. Published in June 2023 in Environmental Research Letters, the study examined the environmental risks of orphaned wells and how plugging or repurposing wells could play a role in the transition to net zero. An additional key finding is that many essential technical details about this well set, like depth and condition, and environmental impacts, including methane emission rates and whether they have caused groundwater contamination, are largely unknown.

Read More »

Posted in Air Quality, Methane regulatons / Authors: / Comments are closed

Lack of standards could undermine global hydrogen market before it gets started

By Morgan Rote

Governments and industry around the world are wagering big on hydrogen to solve the climate and clean energy challenge.

But woefully insufficient global progress toward establishing strong climate, safety, social and sustainability standards is threatening to compromise the hydrogen market before it has a chance to get started.

With the looming threats posed by a rapidly warming climate, it’s a gamble of both time and money that we can’t afford to lose. It’s not just a matter of squandered resources; get it wrong enough, and we could even make the climate problem worse. Which means that before we roll these dice, it’s critical to have a set of commonly accepted standards to weigh our bets.

Read More »

Posted in Methane regulatons / Comments are closed

A North Star for Sustainable Aviation: Science, People and Nature.

By Pedro Piris-Cabezas and Glenda Chen

The Biden administration has worked to keep its promise to follow the science in dealing with challenges like housing, COVID, air pollution — and especially climate change. The next major test is coming soon. The Treasury Department is preparing to issue guidelines about which alternative fuels will qualify for federal refundable tax credits for sustainable aviation fuels created by last year’s Inflation Reduction Act.

Read More »

Posted in General / Comments are closed

With beneficial electrification plans, the Illinois Commerce Commission takes a step towards reducing harmful emissions

By Larissa Koehler and Brian Urbaszewski

Today, the Illinois Commerce Commission issued a final order approving beneficial electrification plans from the state’s two biggest utilities — Commonwealth Edison and Ameren. The transportation-focused plans, directed by the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, are critical to decarbonizing the transportation sector in Illinois.

Read More »

Posted in Electric Vehicles, Illinois / Comments are closed

After a worrisome delay, New Jersey regulators are making real progress on electric truck charging infrastructure

By Elizabeth B. Stein and Cole Jermyn

Back in December, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities released a revised straw proposal for the development of charging infrastructure for zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles throughout the state. This proposal comes over a year after the preliminary proposal was released in June 2021. When it comes to building infrastructure at a large scale and the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other health-harming pollution, especially in already overburdened communities, a year’s delay is costly. The BPU must work quickly to finalize an order and direct the utilities to implement their resulting programs soon to align with the rapid deployment of zero-emission trucks and buses expected in New Jersey.

Read More »

Posted in Air Quality, Electric Vehicles / Comments are closed

Study suggests LNG production facilities should monitor methane emissions – just like the rest of the gas supply chain

Stock photo of LNG terminal

By James France

Many parts of the world are looking to liquefied natural gas to provide a pathway to a cleaner and more secure energy resource — interest that has only grown since Russia’s war on Ukraine has shaken global energy markets. Meanwhile, gas-producing countries see LNG as a critical growth opportunity. The question is what an LNG boom would mean for the climate and communities near LNG facilities.

Read More »

Posted in Air Quality, BLM Methane, Carbon capture / Comments are closed