I was aware that leaking methane is a problem, both as a greenhouse gas, and as a lost source of energy and revenue. However, I was unaware of the extent of the problem. There are two methane clouds in particular that could boggle the mind. Of course Republicans oppose the solution for one. They are the cause of the other.
In March, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell cited a methane gas plume the size of Delaware hovering over the Four Corners area in Northwest New Mexico as evidence that the Interior Department needs to cut “wasted gas that results from venting and flaring during oil and gas operations.”
This methane hot spot, which is located above an area that contains more than 40,000 wells, arises primarily from leaks in natural gas production and processing equipment spanning a large area of federal lands. While it may be the most visible instance of this issue, it is far from the only instance of methane — a powerful greenhouse gas that traps up to 34 times as much heat as carbon dioxide over the course of a century — being emitted into the atmosphere above public lands. A new report from the Government Accountability Office notes another unfortunate side effect of this inefficiency: the loss of tens of millions of taxpayer dollars each year.
The GAO has been urging the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an Interior Department agency, to cut methane emissions via flared or vented gas since at least 2010, when the government office found that 40 percent of this methane could be economically captured and sold. According to the 2010 report, “such reductions could increase federal royalty payments by about $23 million annually and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to about 16.5 million metric tons of CO2 — the annual emissions equivalent of 3.1 million cars.” … [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
Fortunately, dealing with this problem is part of Barack Obama’s greenhouse initiative, although Republicans are doing their worst to undermine it.
The other plume is far worse, and is not covered under Obama’s plan, because the noxious cloud not an energy related plume. It comes from an overconcentration of bovine excrement. Here’s a picture:
If there is a bigger fool in the Republican clown car of presidential aspirants than Ted Cruz, then bring it. Jon Stewart tried to do everyone a favor on Tuesday night’s show when he played a round of, "Let’s get rid of Ted Cruz."
