"Study: Most Of Methane Hot Spot Comes From Natural Gas Leaks"

"DENVER — A puzzling concentration of the greenhouse gas methane over the Southwestern United States appears to come mostly from leaks in natural gas production, scientists said Monday.

Researchers identified more than 250 sources of a methane hot spot over the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. They include gas wells, storage tanks, pipelines and processing plants.

Only a handful were natural seeps from underground formations, and one was a vent from a coal mine, according to researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology. The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study said as much as two-thirds of the methane could be spewing from only about 25 locations."

Dan Elliott reports for the Associated Press August 15, 2016.

SEE ALSO:

"In U.S. Methane Hot Spot, Researchers Pinpoint Sources of 250 Leaks" (InsideClimate News)

"NASA: Heavy Emitters Drive Southwest’S Methane ‘Hot Spot’" (The Hill)