A study released Monday that was co-financed by one of the highest-profile environmentalists in the country undercuts a chief objection to the innovative natural gas extraction technique known as hydraulic fracturing.
The study, conducted by scientists at the University of Texas Austin and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed small amounts of methane emissions associated with hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking.
“Based on the best information available to us today, shale has a clear benefit when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions,” said Steve Everley, a spokesman for the industry website Energy In Depth, citing the study.
The findings could weaken the environmentalist case against fracking, which relies in large measure on the contention that methane leaks at the site of natural gas extraction reduce or eliminate any greenhouse gas emission benefits associated with its use for electricity generation.
That contention relies primarily on the work of two scientists who have produced research showing high methane emissions associated with the fracking process itself.
One of those scientists, Cornell University geochemist Robert Howarth, told the Associated Press that the study released on Monday is “good news,” though he noted it represents “a best-case scenario.”
