Title: Methane emissions from non-producing oil and gas wells and natural gas end use
Abstract:
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and reducing methane emissions is a fast and cost-effective way to slow global warming in the near term. In this presentation, I will focus on two methane sources for which national inventory estimates remain highly uncertain: non-producing oil and gas wells and natural gas end use. I will present an overview of available methane emission measurements for these two sources, including the different methodologies employed. I will also provide estimates of methane emissions of non-producing oil and gas wells and natural gas end use for Canada and the U.S., including a discussion of data sources and limitations. I will end with the implications of these results on methane mitigation potential and policies in Canada, the U.S., and around the world.
Bio:
Mary Kang is an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, and the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Monitoring and Energy Transition. Kang’s laboratory at McGill (Subsurface Hydrology and Environmental Analysis Laboratory, SHEAL) studies energy transition, climate and environmental impacts of energy systems, and subsurface hydrology – with a focus on methane emissions from oil and gas wells and infrastructure. Previously, she was a postdoctoral fellow in the Earth System Science department at Stanford University. She received a Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University, a Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy certificate from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, and a M.A.Sc. and a B.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Canada. Between her time at Waterloo and Princeton, she worked as an engineering consultant based in Reston, Virginia, U.S.A