Table 15. U.S. Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Operations, 1990-1998
(Million Metric Tons of Methane)

Source 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 P1998
Natural Gas Systems  
  Production 1.47 1.49 1.49 1.51 1.55 1.57 1.58 1.65 1.67
  Processing 0.65 0.71 0.70 0.71 0.71 0.72 0.73 0.71 0.71
  Transmission and Storage 2.10 2.21 2.23 2.15 2.11 2.14 2.11 2.20 2.20
  Distribution 1.36 1.39 1.44 1.48 1.49 1.52 1.55 1.55 1.55
    Total 5.58 5.80 5.86 5.85 5.86 5.95 5.97 6.12 6.14
Oil Wells 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04 0.04
Oil Refining and Transportation 0.08 0.08 0.08 0.08 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09 0.09
Total 5.70 5.92 5.99 5.97 5.99 6.08 6.10 6.25 6.27
P = preliminary data.
Notes: Data in this table are revised from the data contained in the previous EIA report, Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 1997, DOE/EIA-0573(97) (Washington, DC, October 1998). Totals may not equal sum of components due to independent rounding.
Sources: National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Methane Emissions From the Natural Gas Industry, Vol. 2, Technical Report, GRI-94/0257.1 and EPA-600-R-96-08 (Research Triangle Park, NC, June 1996), Appendix A; World Oil (February issue, various years); American Gas Association, Gas Facts (various years); Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas Annual, DOE/EIA-0131 (various years); Radian Corporation, Global Emissions of Methane from Petroleum Sources (February 1992); Energy Information Administration, Annual Energy Review 1998, DOE/EIA-0384(98) (Washington, DC, July 1999); Energy Information Administration, Petroleum Supply Annual, DOE/EIA-0340 (Washington, DC, various years).

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