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Natural Gas STAR Program
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Estimates of Methane Emissions by Segment in the United States

EPA estimates methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry in its annual Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks. Charts summarizing the 2021 methane emissions by oil and gas industry segment are presented below.

  • Oil and Gas Industry Overview
  • Production
  • Processing
  • Transmission
  • Distribution

Overview

Methane emission estimates aggregated by the major oil and natural gas segments in the United States are presented in the chart below.

 

Segment Percentage
Gas Production 39
Oil Production 21
Processing 6
Transmission and Storage 19
Distribution 6
Post-Meter 5
Abandoned Wells 3

Values may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

Production

The Production segment (including exploration, offshore production, and gathering and boosting) accounts for 60% of the total methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry. The chart below shows the distribution of the top emission sources in this segment.

 

Emission Source Percentage
Pneumatic Controllers 38
Gas Engines 14
Compressors 8
Equipment Leaks 8
Tanks 7
Produced Water 4
Liquids Unloading 2
Other 19

Values may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

Processing

The Processing segment accounts for 6% of the total methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry. The chart below shows the distribution of the top emission sources in this segment.

 

Emission Source Percentage
Gas Engines 62
Reciprocating Compressors 10
Blowdowns 9
Centrifugal Compressors 6
Flares 6
Other 7

Values may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

Transmission

The Transmission and Storage segment accounts for 19% of the total methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry. The chart below shows the distribution of the top emission sources in this segment.

 

Emission Source Percentage
Reciprocating Compressors 33
Station Venting 13
Gas Engines 12
Pipeline Venting 11
Station Fugitives 11
Centrifugal Compressors 9
Metering and Regulating (M&R) Stations 6
Other 6

Values may not sum to 100 due to rounding.

Distribution

The Distribution segment accounts for 6% of the total methane emissions from the oil and natural gas industry. The chart below shows the distribution of the top emission sources in this segment.

 

Emission Source Percentage
Commercial Meters 24
Residential Meters 16
Mishaps (Dig-ins) 13
Mains - Protected Steel 8
Metering and Regulating (M&R) Stations 8
Mains - Unprotected steel 7
Services - Unprotected steel 6
Other 18

Values may not sum to 100 due to rounding.


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Last updated on July 18, 2023
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