On September 13–14, 2012, EPA held a stakeholder workshop on key aspects of the estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from the natural gas sector in the Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks (Inventory). EPA develops the Inventory each year to provide a comprehensive accounting of total greenhouse gas emissions for all man-made sources in the United States, and to track the national trend in emissions and removals since 1990. The Inventory is submitted to the United Nations in accordance with the Framework Convention on Climate Change. For more information, please see the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report.

At the workshop, EPA presented information on existing emissions methodologies and data and also presented options under consideration for updates to the Inventory, based on previous stakeholder comments on the Inventory estimates. In addition, stakeholders presented information on new and upcoming data and analyses related to these estimates.

View the workshop summary and presentations.

Workshop Agenda

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Overview

• Welcome and Opening Remarks, Sarah Dunham, EPA
• Introductions and Workshop Overview, Paul Gunning, EPA
• Background on Natural Gas and GHG Inventory
  • Bill Irving, EPA, Overview of U.S. GHG Inventory
  • Q&A for Clarification
  • Mark DeFigueiredo, EPA, GHGRP and GHG Inventory
  • Q&A for Clarification
  • Melissa Weitz, EPA, Overview of Natural Gas in the GHG Inventory
  • Q&A for Clarification

Session A: Production

• ​Overview of Production Sector in the GHG Inventory
  • Brian Cook, EPA, Overview of Production Sector
  • Q&A for Clarification of Overview
• ​Gas Well Counts
  • Carey Bylin, EPA, Overview of GHG Inventory Gas Well Data
  • Q&A for Clarification of Overview
  • Ed Hance, Pioneer, Well Count Data
  • Discussion on Well Counts
• ​Liquids Unloading
  • Suzie Waltzer, EPA, Current U.S. Inventory Methods and Key Areas for Updates
  • Q&A for Clarification of Current Inventory
  • Reid Smith, BP, Updates to Liquids Unloading Emissions Estimates
  • Discussion on Liquids Unloading Updates
• ​Well Completions and Workovers for Wells with Hydraulic Fracturing
  • Bill Irving, EPA, Current U.S. Inventory Methods and Key Areas for Updates
  • Q&A for Clarification of Current Inventory
  • Lee Hinman, Noble, Well Completions
  • Brian Gillis, Chesapeake, Re-fracture Rates for Wells
  • Francis O'Sullivan, MIT, Shale Gas Production—The GHG Emissions Question
  • Jesse Sandlin, Devon, Realistic Completion Emissions
  • Discussion on Well Completions and Workovers Updates
• Other Production Sources
  • Leif Hockstad, EPA, Current U.S. Inventory Methods and Key Areas for Updates
  • Discussion
• Area-Based Measurements
  • Anna Karion, NOAA, Top-down Estimation of CH₄ Emissions from Oil and Natural Gas Operations in the Denver and Uintah Oil and Gas Basins
  • Discussion

Friday, September 14, 2012

Session B: Processing, Transmission and Storage, and Distribution

• Opening Remarks
• Processing
  • Carey Bylin, EPA, Current U.S. Inventory Methods and Key Areas for Updates
  • Discussion
• Transmission and Storage
  • Suzie Waltzer, EPA, Current U.S. Inventory Methods and Key Areas for Updates
  • Discussion
• Distribution
  • Melissa Weitz, EPA, Current U.S. Inventory Methods and Key Areas for Updates
  • Discussion

Session C: Upcoming Studies, Other Analyses

• Upcoming Studies, Other Analyses
  • Khalid Farrag, Gas Technology Institute, Improving Methane Emission Estimates for Belowground Pipeline Leaks
  • Jacob Dearmon, Oklahoma City University, Statistical Methods and Procedures in Estimates of Methane Emissions from Unconventional Wells—a Comment on Bayesian Applications
  • Cliff Brown, Novim, Natural Gas Study
  • Ramon Alvarez, EDF, Natural Gas Methane Study
• Closing of Workshop

For more information on the workshop, please contact ghginventory@epa.gov.

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