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Michael Brune, the Executive Director of the Sierra Club, gave a good interview with Platts Energy Weekly, where Mr. Brune discusses the group's new oppostion to natural gas. See the interview here:
http://www.plattsenergyweektv.com/video/default.aspx?bctid=1667953628001&WT.mc_id=&WT.tsrc=Eloqua.
In the first half of the clip, Brune states that the group's opposition to gas is based on climate impacts and suggests that methane leakage turns natural gas into something other than a low-carbon fuel. Unfortunately, the discussion is general and not specific about this key point of methane leakage rates and the lifecycle carbon emissions of gas and coal.
For example, there is no discussion in the interview about the lifecycle study done by Carnegie Mellon University, and partially funded by the Sierra Club, that found gas emits half the carbon of coal on a full lifecycle basis or of the other 4 studies that concur with the CMU study and debunk Prof. Howarth's solitary paper.
There is no discussion of the new April 2012 EPA final rule on air emissions from gas production that will slash further methane leakage and increase natural gas's already substantial climate benefits. Professor Howarth himself has said that EPA final rule would reduce substantially the carbon footprint of gas.
Moreover, there is no discussion about the massive amount of information about methane leakage rates released this month by the API and ANGA. This data is the single biggest source of data ever provided to the public. It should be reviewed, but it shows that methane leakage rates in important parts of the gas production process are much lower than had been estimated. www.johnhanger.blogspot.com/2012/06/big-industry-survey-cuts-by-50.html.
The details about methane leakage do matter. But the details have been getting better and not worse, in terms of the lifecycle carbon pollution from natural gas, and its expanding climate benefits when compared to coal or gas.
Hopefully, the Sierra Club will review the new data and regulations that establish both that natural gas on a full lifecycle basis emits much less carbon than coal or oil and that methane leakage rates are and will be declining further, thereby boosting by still more the climate benefits of natural gas.
Indeed, natural gas has avoided or cut approximately 1 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year. These are early and huge carbon reductions, making them especially valuable to stabilizing atmospheric concentrations of heat trapping pollution.
Additional huge amounts of soot, lead, mercury, nitrogen oxide, and sulfur dioxide are being removed from the air by the commercial success of gas. Right now, the rising use of natural gas to make electricity is powerfully and quickly cleaning our air, preventing tens of thousands of illnesses, and preventing thousands of premature deaths.
When gas is displacing massive amounts of dirtier fuel and slashing air pollution, seeking to ban natural gas is not good environmental stewardship. The Sierra Club should rethink.
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