Methane Waste and Pollution State Fact Sheets
On behalf of EDF and Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS), Synapse created a series of fact sheets on the impacts of natural gas waste in five major fossil fuel producing states. Gas waste occurs through venting, flaring, and leaking, and it results in direct emissions of methane—a potent greenhouse gas—to the atmosphere. In addition to its climate impacts, gas waste harms public health via its effect on air quality and results in lost revenue for state, tribal, and federal governments that would otherwise have collected taxes on the gas. Stricter regulations on gas waste could mitigate these harms, benefiting the climate, public health, and the economy.
In the fact sheets, Synapse quantified the negative impacts of wasted gas in each state, with a focus on foregone government revenue. The fact sheets cover Louisiana, North Dakota, Ohio, Texas, and Utah.