The EPA Might Have Been Underestimating The Amount Of Methane Emitted By The U.S.

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Methane naturally seeps out of natural gas wells, especially those for shale gas. rCarner/Shutterstock

Natural gas is often touted as what is called a “bridge fuel,” an energy source with a substantially lower carbon footprint than coal or oil that could help wean us off these higher-polluting energy sources, while still bringing the benefits and trappings of fossil fuels. It might be true that natural gas emits less carbon dioxide than other fossil fuels, but this ignores the fact that in the U.S. over 40% of natural gas is now derived from fracking, and that its extraction releases the more potent greenhouse gas methane.