New EDF assessment reveals U.S. oil and gas basins emit four times more methane than federal estimates.

The country’s largest oil and gas basins emit four times more methane than federal estimates, according to a new assessment by the Environmental Defense Fund (ED). This assessment adds to concerns that the federal government is undercounting planet-warming emissions from U.S. oil and natural gas operations. Methane breaks down faster in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, but has about 80 times the heat-trapping capability over a 20-year period. The EDF conducted the assessment using a chartered jet aircraft equipped with an imaging spectrometer that measures methane in the air. The satellite MethaneSAT, launched in March, is set to begin delivering public data later this year.