NASA confirms that fracking operations are releasing tremendous amounts of methane into the atmosphere. The methane cloud over the Four Corners region, a major fracking site, is so large it can be
seen from space.This image shows the plume as a red spot:
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| blues and purples lower than 2003-09 average |
In each of the years studied during 2003-09 the area released over half a million metric tons of mehtane gas into the atmosphere. The amounts are much larger than estimated. Methane, the largest component of natural gas, accounts for 9% of the US greenhouse gas emissions, but it is
80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the Earth's atmosphere. The oil and gas industry accounts for 30% of the methane emissions or about 8 million metric tons a year, enough to power every household in DC, Maryland and Virginia. The Current Occupant says
he has plans to introduce new regulations to reduce the waste.
In another glaring example of
just how compromised Repugnant legislators are, the Senate majority leader announced he would lead efforts to block measures to curtail domestic energy production, and approve the controversial Keystone XL pipeline that has become a
cause celebré among conservatives. Plummeting oil prices that have
reached a low not seen since 2009 are cutting company profits.