Forbes: The Media And The UT/EDF Methane Study: Job Well Done

On a lark, we pulled together a report detailing how various media outlets and activist blogs covered Monday’s release of a study conducted at the University of Texas titled “Measurements of Methane Emissions at Natural Gas Production Sites in the United States.”  The results of our exercise are simultaneously telling, mostly unsurprising and amusing.

First, a brief summary of the facts around the study and its findings, taken from the EDF website , are in order:

• The work related to the study was led by Dr. David Allen, a highly respected scientist who is currently the chairman of the EPA’s Science Advisory Board;
• The study was jointly funded by the Environmental Defense Fund and a group of industry companies who volunteered to be participants;
• The study looked only at emissions from well sites, which is a first step in analyzing the full natural gas supply chain.  Subsequent steps are planned to perform similar analyses on midstream and downstream segments of the chain;
• The study’s findings are in line with recently-revised (and much lower than previous) EPA estimates for this segment of the supply chain;
• This is very good news for natural gas as a potential replacement for coal in the power generation sector, but not completely dispositive, given the limited scope of work.

Those are the high points, but those interested should read the rest of what EDF has to say about the study at the link provided above.

Now, to the news coverage.  MORE