Yes, MDN has spotted the news circulating around the mainstream media echo chamber that trumpets, OMG!…”fugitive methane” is leaking at, like 50% more than even WE thought in our worst nightmarish dreamworld–and it may be, might, could, possibly be, coming from shale drilling. This latest “scare them while they still believe you” scam comes straight from, yes, another “peer reviewed” so-called “study” published in the prestigious (and it is prestigious) Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (or PNAS). The AP/Bloomberg/Reuters et al can’t wait to share this bit of bad news with the general public. Too bad it’s wasted during a holiday week when no one will notice.
This latest study, which attempts to create a boogeyman where none exists, is titled, “Anthropogenic emissions of methane in the United States.” The new study certainly tickles discredited Cornell professors Robert Howarth and Tony Ingraffea who have spun wild yarns about how coal is better than natural gas because of the “fugitive methane” issue. Unfortunately MDN could not get a copy of this study–not without paying good money (money we’d rather spend on something important, like going to see The Hunger Games). However, our friends at the always-excellent Energy in Depth have scored a copy and have written this insightful review:
