Emissions
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Colorado was the first state in the country to implement methane emission rules for oil and natural gas production, reducing more than 60,000 tons of methane emissions per year. The emission controls for ozone forming volatile organic compounds (VOCs) also reduce methane emissions. As Colorado-based VOCs emissions from industry drop, so do methane emissions.
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Greenhouse Gas EmissionsGases that trap heat in the atmosphere are called greenhouse gases. The main greenhouse gases emitted in the U.S. include:
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- Carbon dioxide (CO2): Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and other biological materials, and also as a result of certain chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement). Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (or "sequestered") when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle.
- Nitrous oxide (N2O): Nitrous oxide is emitted during agricultural and industrial activities, combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste, as well as during treatment of wastewater.
- Fluorinated gases: Hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen trifluoride are synthetic, powerful greenhouse gases that are emitted from a variety of industrial processes. Fluorinated gases are sometimes used as substitutes for stratospheric ozone-depleting substances (e.g., chlorofluorocarbons, hydrochlorofluorocarbons, and halons). These gases are typically emitted in smaller quantities, but because they are potent greenhouse gases, they are sometimes referred to as High Global Warming Potential gases ("High GWP gases").
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“One of America’s great but untold environmental success stories is that we have made – and continue to make – great improvements in our air quality, thanks largely to state and federal implementation of the Clean Air Act and innovation in the private sector”
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler.
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Every year, 7 million people die from an airborne pollutant known as particulate matter, which is known as PM 2.5. PM 2.5 is by far the world’s most lethal pollutant. A billion people still lack any access to electricity, and another billion only have intermittent access. Each year, millions of lives can be saved with commonsense environmental priorities focused on reducing deadly particulate matter in the air.
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Colorado Emissions Reduction Calculator |
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Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Colorado: Can You Comply?
The Common Sense Policy Roundtable (CSPR) has created a simple calculator to give users the opportunity to test alternative ways to comply with Colorado’s new greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions targets.
During the 2019 legislative session, several climate and energy-related bills passed that attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the state. The sectors impacted range from electricity production to transportation to the construction of new buildings. Under HB19-1261, the state’s air quality regulatory authority has a new mandate to reduce total state greenhouse gas emissions as a percent of 2005 levels by 2025, 2030 and 2050.
The most recent projection of greenhouse gases from 2014 estimated that total emissions in 2030 would be 15% higher than 2005 levels. If this holds up, then emissions must actually be reduced by a net of 65% in 2030 to achieve the desired target of 50% of 2005 levels.
Click below to access the CSPR Emissions Reduction Calculator to input your own reductions in different emission sectors, to test how far reductions will need to go, in order to comply with the mandate.
The Common Sense Policy Roundtable (CSPR) has created a simple calculator to give users the opportunity to test alternative ways to comply with Colorado’s new greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions targets.
During the 2019 legislative session, several climate and energy-related bills passed that attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the state. The sectors impacted range from electricity production to transportation to the construction of new buildings. Under HB19-1261, the state’s air quality regulatory authority has a new mandate to reduce total state greenhouse gas emissions as a percent of 2005 levels by 2025, 2030 and 2050.
- 26% reduction by 2025
- 50% reduction by 2030
- 90% reduction by 2050
The most recent projection of greenhouse gases from 2014 estimated that total emissions in 2030 would be 15% higher than 2005 levels. If this holds up, then emissions must actually be reduced by a net of 65% in 2030 to achieve the desired target of 50% of 2005 levels.
Click below to access the CSPR Emissions Reduction Calculator to input your own reductions in different emission sectors, to test how far reductions will need to go, in order to comply with the mandate.
Studies & Research
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Significant over estimations of methane emissions from oil and natural gas production in the United States were made by relying on faulty measurements, according to research sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Studies show conflicting estimates of trends in methane (CH4) emissions from oil and natural gas operations in the United States resulting in previous studies showing increases of methane emission volume may have been overestimated by as much as 10 times.
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Natural gas production in the United States has increased 46 percent since 2006, but there has been no significant increase of total U.S. methane emissions and only a modest increase from oil and gas activity, according to a new CIRES-led study.
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BOULDER, Colo. — Scientists made "major overestimations" of methane emissions from oil and gas production in the United States by relying on faulty measurements, according to new research sponsored by NOAA.
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The probe, led by scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and University of Colorado Boulder, also found some previous studies showing significant hikes in methane emissions overestimated the amount of pollution coming from oil and gas activity, by as much as 10-fold in some cases.
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Resources |
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https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-national-summary
https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=26352 From the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) Simple Steps. Better Air. Moderate Area Ozone SIP Oil and Gas – Technical Support Document (TSD) Monitoring Data from Fort Collins West and NREL From the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE) https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/ozone-information https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/ract From the American Lung Association http://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/healthy-air/sota/city-rankings/states/colorado/ |
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