Oil and Natural Gas Sector Leaks

The oil and natural gas exploration and production industry in the U.S. is highly dynamic and growing rapidly. Consequently, the number of wells in service and the potential for greater air emissions from oil and natural gas sources is also growing. There were an estimated 504,000 producing gas wells in the U.S. in 2011 (U.S. EIA, 2012a), and an estimated 536,000 producing oil wells in the U.S. in 2011 (U.S. EIA, 2012b). It is anticipated that the number of gas and oil wells will continue to increase substantially in the future because of the continued and expanding use of horizontal drilling combined with hydraulic fracturing (referred to here as simply hydraulic fracturing).Due to the growth of this sector and the potential for increased air emissions, it is important that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) obtain a clear and accurate understanding of emerging data on air emissions and available mitigation techniques. This paper presents the Agency's understanding of emissions and available emissions mitigation techniques from a potentially significant source of emissions in the oil and natural gas sector.