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Baaken, Eagle Ford fracking leading to surge in dangerous gas - study

  • A new study finds that fracking of U.S. shale fields is causing a global surge in ethane emissions. Ethane is known to contribute to global warming and dangerous air pollution.
  • Global ethane levels had been falling since the 1980s, but in 2010 a sensor in Europe picked up a surprise increase. U.S. shale fracking was thought to be the culprit. More recently, a single field in the North Dakota and Montana Bakken Formation has been found to be emitting 2% of the worldwide total.
  • "Two percent might not sound like a lot, but the emissions we observed in this single region are 10 to 100 times larger than reported in inventories. They directly impact air quality across North America. And they're sufficient to explain much of the global shift in ethane concentrations," said Eric Kort, the first author of the new study published in Geophysical Research Letters.
  • Ethane emissions from other U.S. fields, especially the Texas Eagle Ford, likely contributed as well, the research team says. The findings illustrate the key role of shale oil and gas production in rising ethane levels.
  • Baaken stocks include: CLR, ERF, EOG, HK, HES, MRO, OAS, QEP, SM, STO, TPLM, WLL
  • Eagle Ford stocks include: APC, APA, COG, CRZO, CHK, COP, ECA, XOM, MUR, PXD
  • See the full study here »

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