While climate-skeptics continue to snipe at those who blame human activity for rising levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide and, therefore, for rising global temperatures, governments and their agencies continue to document those rises.
Last month, the staid US Energy Information Administration released "State-Level Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions, 2000-10."1 The study focuses only on emissions "released at the location where fossil fuels are used," whether to produce more fuels or electricity.
Coincidentally, earlier this year a documentary film described the deterioration of air quality in two oil and gas producing states of the US West. The story spotlighted one of the largest producers for its efforts to reduce emissions.2
Emission leaders; producer steps
The good news, in terms of state CO2 emissions, is that over the 11 years of EIA's study, US states have reduced their CO2 emissions by nearly 250 million tonnes/year, or by more than 4%. That's against a backdrop, however, of emitting an average of more than 5.8 billion tpy. In 2010, states emitted 5.6 billion tpy of CO2, compared with nearly 5.9 billion tpy in 2000.
EIA hits lightly, and mostly state-by-state, on the fact that the studied years encompass the greatest US economic downturn in more than 70 years. Only in the final year of the study were most states showing measurable recovery.
The Top 10 emitters were generally those you might expect.
Texas—where everything is big—led the way, emitting about 12% (711 million tonnes) of total US CO2 emissions from energy activities in 2000 but dipping to 11.6% (652 million tonnes) for 2010. Over the 11 years studied, Texas reduced its average annual emissions more than any state, by nearly 60 million tonnes (-8.3%) in 2010.
Of the Top 10 emitting states over the 11 years, five already were leaders in oil and gas production or became ones over the period: Texas (1), California (2), Pennsylvania (3), Ohio (4), and Louisiana (5). All five reduced their CO2 emissions from energy-related activity during the period.
Working against the grain, however, was major oil and gas producing state Colorado. It led all states in increasing CO2 emissions from energy activities, by nearly 12 million tpy 2000-10, or up almost 14%. Neighboring Wyoming also emitted more CO2 from energy activities over the period, up by 3.5%.
That trend is important for what comes next….
Related to the warming effects of CO2 build-up in the atmosphere is the build-up at ground level of ozone. That's because emissions of nitrous oxide (NOx) promote ozone formation and comprise one of four gases, along with CO2, that climate scientists blame for atmospheric warming. Oil and gas drilling and production operations emit NOx along with volatile organic compounds (VOC).
In 2012, the US Environmental Protection Agency declared the Green River basin of Wyoming, site of considerable oil and gas exploration, an ozone nonattainment area, bringing on a myriad of new regulations. EPA based the declaration almost entirely on the area's emissions of VOC and NOx from industry operations.
In the Uinta basin in neighboring Utah, major operator Anadarko Petroleum Corp., according to the Bill Lane Center's documentary, did not want its operations there to share to the same fate.
According to Anardarko's Brad Miller, interviewed in the film, the company has installed no-bleed valves on all production equipment, banned VOC-emitting dehydrators on its gathering system, installed filtration for drilling-waste water that removes hydrocarbons before the water flows to containment ponds, and reduced the number of diesel truck trips among production sites, thereby reducing NOx.
Uncertain future
We can't know what 2011-20 will bring for US state energy-related emissions of CO2 and of related ozone precursors NOx and VOC. Nor can we know whether other North American producers will adopt Anadarko's proactive path.
We can be certain that government agencies will continue to gather, study, and publish data. And climate skeptics will continue to doubt.
References
1. US Energy Information Administration: www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/state/analysis.
2. "The New Western Fugitives: Ozone Ingredients from Oil and Gas," The Bill Lane Center for the American West, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
