Study finds natural gas leaks could offset clean-burning benefits

Natural gas drilling in Lycoming County, Penn. (Credit: Rig, via Wikimedia Commons)

A study published in the journal Science finds that leaky pipes may offset the benefits of natural gas as a fuel for vehicles, according to the New York Times. Though it is a cleaner burning fuel than diesel, leaks along the way to combustion negate the benefits, study authors say.

Researchers found that there is already more than 50 percent more natural gas in the atmosphere than estimated by the U.S. EPA. So where there should not be extra gas, there is. And the report links this to leaks.

The study was carried out by scientists at MIT, Stanford University and the Department of Energy. They say the leaks could be reined in if companies invest in measures necessary to reduce them at wellheads and other locations where they’re prevalent.

Image: Natural gas drilling in Lycoming County, Penn. (Credit: Rig, via Wikimedia Commons)