Cutting Greenhouse Gas from Fossil-Fuel Extraction on Federal Lands and Waters

8/9/2019 Cutting Greenhouse Gas from Fossil-Fuel Extraction on Federal Lands and Waters

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1 Center for American Progress | Cutting Greenhouse Gas from Fossil-Fuel Extraction on Federal Lands and Waters

Cutting Greenhouse Gas from

Fossil-Fuel Extraction on FederalLands and WatersClaire Moser, Joshua Mantell, Nidhi Thakar, Chase Huntley, and Matt Lee-AshleyMarch 19, 2015

Since aking office, Presiden Barack Obama and his adminis ra ion have akenunpreceden ed ac ion o address he hrea o clima e change. Trough policies o improveenergy efficiency, increase vehicle emissions s andards, encourage renewable energy

produc ion, and reduce pollu ion rom coal-red power plan s, he adminis ra ion hasmade remarkable progress oward mee ing he presiden ’s new goal o reducing emissionso greenhouse gases, or GHGs, by 26 percen below 2005 levels by 2020, as par o anagreemen wi h China.1 However, even wi h hese remarkable ac ions, here is s ill a blind spo in U.S. effor s o address clima e change.

oday, axpayer-owned gas, oil, and coal ex rac ed rom ederal lands and wa ers by priva ecompanies are one o he na ion’s mos signican sources o GHG emissions, accoun ing

or more han one-fh o all U.S. GHG emissions.2 Te U.S. Depar men o he In erior,or DOI, which has jurisdic ion over he na ion’s public lands, has no comprehensive plan

o measure, moni or, and reduce he o al volume o GHG emissions ha resul rom heleasing and developmen o ederal energy resources.

In ligh o he lack o a comprehensive accoun ing o GHG emissions rom energydevelopmen on ederal lands and wa ers, he Cen er or American Progress and Te Wilderness Socie y, or WS, commissioned S ra us Consul ing o conduc anindependen analysis o his issue by upda ing a similar analysis conduc ed in 2012.3 Tis issue brie reviews hese new es ima es rom S ra us Consul ing, nding ha :

• Federal lands and wa ers could have accoun ed or 24 percen o all energy-rela edGHG emissions in he Uni ed S a es in 2012.

• Combus ion o coal rom ederal lands accoun s or more han 57 percen o allemissions rom ossil- uel produc ion on ederal lands.

• Me hane pollu ion rom ven ing and aring rom onshore ederal leases rose morehan 51 percen be ween 2008 and 2013, according o governmen da a.




In addi ion o summarizing he new es ima es provided by S ra us Consul ing, his issue brie recommends a comprehensive plan o address he blind spo in he adminis ra ion’splan o gh global clima e change.

America’s public lands and waters are still major sources of GHG emissions

Comprising more han one-fh o he coun ry’s landmass and 1.7 billion offshore acres,U.S. public lands and wa ers are he source or almos 30 percen o U.S. annual energyproduc ion.4 In addi ion o providing he backdrop or more and more renewable energyprojec s, public lands remain a large source or coal, oil, and na ural gas. However, hesesame ossil uels con ribu e high levels o GHG emissions o he a mosphere, exacerba eclima e change, and have serious implica ions or U.S. clima e policy.

Te DOI has ye o develop a plan o accura ely accoun or, manage, and mi iga e heGHG pollu ion ha resul s rom he ex rac ion and combus ion o ossil uels rom

public lands and wa ers. In 2010, he Whi e House Council on Environmen al Quali y,or CEQ, released i s “Federal Greenhouse Gas Accoun ing and Repor ing Guidance,” which was subsequen ly upda ed in 2012. Tis documen laid ou he greenhouse gas

oo prin or he ederal governmen , bu i explici ly lef ou emissions associa ed wi hor resul ing rom he use o public lands and wa ers by priva e en i ies.5 Te guidancegave land managemen agencies he op ion o repor “ac ivi ies associa ed wi h landmanagemen agencies,” including emissions rom “ hird-par y oil, gas, and coal mineleasing ac ivi ies.”6 However, in CEQ’s “Federal Governmen Greenhouse Gas Inven ory by Agency or scal year 2010,” he DOI only repor ed ha i s larges sources o GHGemissions were rom purchased elec rici y, ederal employee commu ing, and i s

passenger vehicle ee .7

I seems as i he Obama adminis ra ion has s ar ed o recognize his gaping hole in heiremissions accoun ing and repor ing s ruc ure. In December 2014, CEQ issued new“Revised Draf Guidance or Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Clima e Change Impac s,”calling or ederal agencies o consider he impac s o GHG emissions and clima e changein environmen al reviews and impac s a emen s under he Na ional Environmen alPolicy Ac , or NEPA, and o specically include emissions associa ed wi h priva eac ivi ies on public lands and wa ers.8

While his new draf guidance is an impor an s ep in he righ direc ion o accoun oremissions rom public lands, i does no direc ly address exis ing leases on ederal landsand will no resul in a ull pic ure o he carbon emissions resul ing rom energyresources ex rac ed rom he na ion’s public lands and wa ers. Ins ead, i s ill leaves hirdpar ies o de ermine he ex en ha public lands and wa ers are con ribu ing GHGs.




Independen es ima es o GHG emissions rom ossil uels ex rac ed rom ederal landsand wa ers sugges ha hese energy resources con ribu e a large share o overall U.S. GHGemissions. According o S ra us Consul ing’s new es ima es, hese energy resources couldhave accoun ed or more han 1,340 million me ric ons o carbon dioxide equivalen , orMM CO2e, in 2012; an amoun equal o annual emissions rom more han 280 millioncars on he road.9 Ul ima e emissions o carbon dioxide, me hane, and ni rous oxide

rom he combus ion o hese ossil uels could have accoun ed or almos 21 percen oall U.S. GHG emissions or 24 percen o all energy-rela ed U.S. GHG emissions.

As shown in Figure 1, more han hree-quar ers o hese es ima ed emissions, or a o alo more han 1,028 MM CO2e, are associa ed wi h onshore energy resources.

Es ima ed emissions rom ossil uels ex rac ed on public lands and wa ers have decreasedsligh ly over he pas ew years likely due o a change in he mix o energy produced rom

ederal lands. A prior s udy by S ra us Consul ing ound ha ossil uels ex rac ed onpublic lands in 2010 could have accoun ed or 1,154 MM CO2e o U.S. emissions

126 MM CO2e more han in 2012.10

Marke orces have reduced demand or coal andincreased demand or na ural gas and oil, and echnological advancemen s have ur hermade hese resources more economical o develop. Tese changes in produc ion onpublic lands and wa ers would here ore resul in a signican reduc ion in es ima edemissions because na ural gas has a subs an ially smaller carbon oo prin han coal whencombus ed no accoun ing or ugi ive emissions, meaning unin en ional leakageduring produc ion. Also, he adminis ra ion has priori ized inves men s in expandingrenewable energy echnologies and expedi ing he pace a which u ili y-scale solar ando her renewable energy projec s are developed on ederal lands.

Public lands provide many bene s in a changing clima e, including connec ivi y or wildli e migra ion and he po en ial or absorbing carbon released. However, es ima edGHGs emited rom public lands energy resources dwar hese bene s and ou weigh heamoun o carbon ha can be absorbed by public lands. According o an earlier analysis by CAP, public lands in he lower 48 s a es in 2010 were con ribu ing nearly 4.5 imesmore carbon o he a mosphere han hese lands were able o absorb.11

Increases in estimated emissions from natural gas liquids and onshore oil

Even as es ima ed emissions rom ossil uels ex rac ed on public lands have seen modera edecreases, i appears emissions rom onshore oil and na ural gas liquids have increased by more han 20 percen . Specically, es ima ed emissions o onshore oil increased 22percen rom 2010 o 2012, and es ima ed emissions rom onshore na ural gas liquidsincreased more han 25 percen during his period.12

FIGURE 1

Onshore and offshoreemissions from fossil-fuelproduction on federallands in 2012

Stratus Consulting, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions fromFossil Fuel Energy Extracted from Federal Lands andWaters: An Update” (Washington: Stratus Consulting,2014), https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/up-loads/2015/03/WildernessSociety_GHGEmissions_12-23Revisions.pdf.

Onshore1,028

MMTCO2e

Offshore315

MMTCO2e




Coal extraction is more than half of estimated greenhouse gas emissions onpublic lands

Despi e he sligh overall decreases in produc ion and here ore emissions in recen years, es ima ed emissions rom he use o ederal coal is s ill one o he larges sourceso po en ial GHGs rom ederal lands. As depic ed in Figure 3, in 2012, coal rom ederallands was he source o more han hal o all es ima ed emissions rom ossil- uel produc ionon ederal lands o aling 57 percen . Coal rom ederal lands was responsible or anes ima ed 769 MM CO2e o emissions in 2012, which is he equivalen o annual

emissions rom more han 161 million cars on he road.

30%

20%

10%

-10%

-20%

-30%

0%

Onshore oil Natural gasliquids

Offshore oil Onshorenatural gas

Offshorenatural gas

Coal Coalbedmethane

FIGURE 2

Percent change in estimated greenhouse gas emissions from fossil-fuel production onfederal lands and waters, 2010–2012

Stratus Consulting, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Fuel Energy Extracted from Federal Lands a nd Waters: An Update” (Washington: Stratus Consulting, 2014),https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/WildernessSociety_GHGEmissions_12-23Revisions.pdf.

Average total change

-31.89% -31.36%

-13.48%

22.04%25.49%

-13.68% -5.21%

FIGURE 3

Estimated GHG emissions by fossil-fuel resource extracted on federal landsand waters in 2012

Stratus Consulting, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Fuel Energy Extracted from Federal Lands and Waters: An Update” (Washington: StratusConsulting, 2014), https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/WildernessSociety_GHGEmissions_12-23Revisions.pdf.

Fossil fuel

Onshore oil

Offshore oil

Onshore natural gas

Offshore natural gas

Natural gas liquids

Coalbed methane

Coal

Total

Total MTCO2e

57,311,142

217,212,051

144,587,927

98,158,313

26,563,487

31,070,559

769,155,909

1,344,059,388

Percent of total

4%

16%

11%

7%

2%

2%

57%

100%




Figure 3 shows he 2012 es ima ed GHG emissions and he o al emissions oMM CO2e by ype o ossil uel ex rac ed.

While accoun ing or more han hal o all es ima ed emissions, coal produc ion onederal lands occurs in a ew key wes ern s a es. In 2012, coal produc ion in Wyoming,

Colorado, and Mon ana con ribu ed 93 percen o all es ima ed emissions rela ed o coal

produced rom ederal lands. able 1 provides an overview o he es ima ed emissionsrom coal ex rac ed on ederal lands by s a e.

TABLE 1

Coal production on federal lands

Type and estimated emissions by state

State Sales volume, in short tons Type of coal CO2e, in metric tons

Wyoming 354,972,808 Sub-bituminous 633,039,334

Colorado 20,586,124 Bituminous 49,566,232

Montana 21,811,626 Sub-bituminous 38,897,676Utah 13,392,915 Bituminous 32,246,786

New Mexico 4,957,756 Sub-bituminous 8,841,394

Alabama 1,934,725 Bituminous 4,658,333

Oklahoma 352,171 Bituminous 847,940

North Dakota 3,839,502 Lignite 557,567

Kentucky 207,931 Bituminous 500,646

Total 422,055,558 769,155,909

Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding.Source: Stratus Consulting, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Fuel Energy Extracted from Federal Lands and Waters: An Update” (Washington:Stratus Consulting, 2014), https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/WildernessSociety_GHGEmissions_12-23Revisions.pdf.

A signicant portion of these estimated emissions can be attributed to coal production inthe Powder River Basin, which stretches across southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming.In fact, emissions from coal extracted from public lands in Wyoming and Montana alonecontribute almost 50 percent of total GHG emissions from fossil fuels on federal lands andwaters—and more than 65 percent of total emissions from onshore fossil fuels.

The Powder River Basin produces more coal than anywhere else in the country, providing40 percent of all U.S. coal to more than 200 power plants in 35 states. 13 Coal from federallands in Wyoming and Montana, including the Powder River Basin, contributed more than13 percent of all GHG emissions from fossil fuels in the United States and more than 10percent of all U.S. GHG emissions.14 A July 2014 CAP report also found that there are seriouseconomic and social costs of burning Powder River Basin coal that policymakers havegenerally overlooked. 15




Reducing methane pollution from energy development on public landsand waters

Me hane emissions are par icularly concerning because me hane is a much more power ulGHG: Over a 100-year period, he effec o me hane is 34 imes grea er per me ric on

han ha o carbon dioxide and even grea er in he near erm.16 According o he EPA,

29 percen o all U.S. me hane emissions come rom na ural gas and pe roleum sys ems,and 10 percen come rom coal mining in he Uni ed S a es.17

In Oc ober 2014, CAP and WS bo h released repor s analyzing he emissions o me hanerom differen phases o he produc ion and processing o ossil uels on public lands

and wa ers.18 Bo h repor s explored he signican up ick in indus ry-repor ed da adisclosing emissions rom ven ing and aring o na ural gas over a ve-year period, rom2008 o 2012, and also discussed recen li era ure showing even higher levels o me hanereleased rom ugi ive emissions, or he unin en ional leakage o me hane duringproduc ion, ranspor a ion and dis ribu ion ac ivi ies.

Te Bureau o Land Managemen , or BLM, is curren ly in he process o proposingregula ions o cur ail he was e o na ural gas resources hrough ven ing and aringac ivi ies on public lands. A groundbreaking, independen echnical analysis es ima ed

ha up o 50 percen o was ed me hane can be cap ured cos effec ively.19 axpayersdeserve a s rong rule ha upda es ven ing and aring prac ices o ensure hese preven -able emissions are reduced. Te BLM should also look o curb ugi ive emissions romproduc ion and delivery sys ems hrough beter and more accura e moni oring,accoun ing, and cur ailmen .

Increasing ‘wasted’ gas from venting and flaring

Policymakers should be concerned abou he prac ices o ven ing direc ly releasingna ural gas in o he a mosphere, which primarily emi s me hane and aring burningna ural gas o release in o he a mosphere, which primarily emi s carbon dioxide. Teseprac ices was e na ural gas ha could be cap ured or consump ion or sale and addsignican levels o GHGs o he a mosphere. In 2010, he Governmen Accoun abili yOffice, or GAO, ound ha more han 40 percen o ven ed and ared na ural gas could be “economically cap ured” wi h curren ly available echnology.20

Oil and gas companies opera ing on ederal lands and wa ers are required o repor volumeso na ural gas ven ed and ared o DOI’s Office o Na ural Resources Revenue, or ONRR. A varie y o ac ors, including he con inued use o ou -o -da e moni oring sys ems, makeaccura e accoun ing o ven ing and aring volumes a signican challenge. ONRR collec s

he only indus ry-repor ed da a available, al hough an independen audi ound hahese da a likely underes ima e o al volumes because hey do no include all sources o




Unlike he Bureau o Sa e y and Environmen al En orcemen , however, he BLM doesno require all producers o ins all me ers o moni or he volume o gas ha is ven ed orared and o ensure he accuracy o repor ing o governmen regula ors. Bu presuming

ha companies are complying wi h ederal laws and regula ions ha require hem oprovide accura e in orma ion o he BLM, hen i is es ima ed ha me hane pollu ion

rom ven ing and aring on ederal onshore leases increased 51 percen be ween 2008

and 2013.25 Tis increase appears o be consis en wi h a recen EPA repor ha s a es ven ing and aring o associa ed gas across ederal, s a e, and priva e lands has risen inrecen years.26

Because he BLM does no curren ly require me ers, which would aid in independen ly veri ying hird-par y da a, here are s ill large uncer ain ies rela ed o he o al volumeo gas ha is being was ed hrough ven ing and aring. S ill, i is clear ha he volumeo was ed gas is high and ha he resul ing me hane pollu ion is a major problem hais righ ly being addressed as par o he Obama adminis ra ion’s “S ra egy o ReduceMe hane Emissions.” As par o his larger s ra egy, he BLM is curren ly developing a

rule o reduce me hane emissions rom he ven ing and aring o oil and na ural gas onpublic lands. Te rule is a cri ical piece o he larger clima e change puzzle; i is a neededs ep o beter accoun or and reduce overall me hane and GHG emissions rom ederallands and wa ers.

Largest source of methane pollution remains unaddressed

Al hough was ed gas rom ven ing and aring prac ices con inues o con ribu e o GHGpollu ion, ugi ive emissions rom he produc ion, processing, and dis ribu ion o ossil

uels rom public lands remain a much more signican source o me hane. As no ed byCAP and WS in previously issued repor s, me hane pollu ion released rom ugi iveemissions a he well si e, or ups ream; during processing, or mids ream; and in s orage,

ransmission, and dis ribu ion processes, or downs ream, is signican ly higher han heoverall amoun o me hane released rom ven ing and aring o na ural gas and oil. Teamoun is a leas 3.5 imes more han me hane emited rom he combus ion oex rac ed ossil uels rom public lands.27 Te lack o a consis en and accura e process ormeasuring or repor ing ugi ive emissions has resul ed in grea uncer ain y in accoun ing

or hese emissions. In ac , he ex reme range o es ima ed ugi ive emissions 200,000me ric ons o more han 8 million me ric ons o me hane illus ra es his uncer ain y.28

Never heless, even he lowes es ima es o me hane rom ugi ive emissions are well abovehe highes es ima es o me hane pollu ion rom o her sources rela ed o ossil- uel

ex rac ion, emphasizing ha ugi ive emissions are a real problem. I is cri ical ha heObama adminis ra ion ake ac ion o address his signican source o me hane pollu ion.




Emissions-reduction strategy for America’s public lands and waters

In i s Priori y Agenda or Enhancing he Clima e Resilience o America’s Na uralResources, released in Oc ober 2014, he adminis ra ion ook a no ewor hy s ep orwardin recognizing he cri ical impor ance o America’s lands and wa ers in clima e policy.29 Te priori y agenda is aimed a making “ he Na ion’s na ural resources more resilien o

a changing clima e” and ou lines ac ions o “ os er clima e-resilien lands and wa ers.”30 O par icular no e, he agenda priori izes measuring and enhancing he abili y o landand wa ers o absorb carbon dioxide and direc s he U.S. Depar men o Agricul ure,or USDA, along wi h he EPA, he S a e Depar men , and he DOI o “es ablish a robuscapaci y o provide projec ions o greenhouse gas emissions and carbon seques ra ion

rom agricul ural lands, ores s, and grasslands on a biennial basis.”31 However, he priori yagenda ails o men ion he need or beter accoun ing and u ure es ima ion o GHGemissions rom he developmen o energy resources on public lands.

Te goals se ou in he adminis ra ion’s priori y agenda are a needed s ep or he coun ry

o begin o rein in runaway emissions. While i is clear ha he Uni ed S a es is makingprogress in reducing GHG emissions and beginning o recognize he impor ance o na uralresources in addressing clima e change, o al levels o emissions resul ing rom ossil- uelproduc ion on America’s lands and wa ers remain uncer ain a bes . Tus, i is cri ical

ha he adminis ra ion ac o accoun or and reduce hese emissions. A comprehensiveme hod o manda ory accoun ing or carbon and me hane emissions rom proposedresource ex rac ion projec s on public lands is necessary o unders and he ull scope o

he problem he na ion aces. Te adminis ra ion should nalize he “Revised DrafGuidance or Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Clima e Change Impac s” ha requiresprojec reviews o recognize he clima e oo prin o projec s on public lands and o ully

accoun or he impac s ha occur rom developing hese resources. Addi ionally, headminis ra ion should ake s eps o develop and main ain an inven ory o he carboncommited o ex rac ion hrough leases and o her means.

A success ul emissions-reduc ions s ra egy would build on he adminis ra ion’s currenini ia ives and progress, ocusing effor s on accoun ing or and reducing GHG emissions

rom all s ages o ossil- uel produc ion on America’s lands and wa ers. Tere are manyoppor uni ies or he Obama adminis ra ion o ake ac ion as par o a comprehensivepublic lands emissions s ra egy. While he mos impor an s ep is o unders and he scopeo he emissions ha can be raced o public lands, here are signican oppor uni ies o build off o hese da a o ensure ha he causes o clima e change rom public lands are

aken in o accoun . Tese oppor uni ies include: 32

• Seting royal y ra es or ossil uels o accoun or he ull cos s o carbon pollu ion andex ernali ies in order o ensure axpayers receive a air re urn.

• Cur ailing ugi ive emissions rom oil and gas opera ions on public lands as par ohe BLM’s ven ing and aring rule, by requiring companies o pay or he righ o

ven and are.




• Requiring onshore opera ors o ins all ven and are me ers o adequa ely accoun or volumes o ven ed and ared gas o ONRR.

• Requiring oil and gas opera ors o ins all bes -available echnology o reduce heprac ice o ven ing and aring.

• Requiring indus ry o measure ugi ive me hane emissions rom ups ream, mids ream,and downs ream produc ion ac ivi ies.

• Implemen ing Presiden Obama’s plan o reduce me hane by a leas 45 percen by2025 in par by requiring he a oremen ioned measures on he par o opera ors oreduce me hane emissions rom ven ing, aring, and ugi ive emissions.

Tese ac ions would provide axpayers a air re urn on heir resources ha are nowsenselessly was ed and would also reduce emissions o clima e-change-inducing-pollu an sin o he a mosphere.

Ac ions he Obama adminis ra ion is curren ly aking, including implemen ing he priori yagenda, promulga ing a ven ing and aring rule or na ural gas produc ion, and exploringmeasures o address ugi ive emissions are s eps in he righ direc ion. None heless, ossil

uels ex rac ed on public lands and wa ers con inue o resul in signican amoun s o GHGemissions a all s ages o produc ion. In order o ensure he success o he adminis ra ion’sClima e Ac ion Plan, i is cri ical ha he adminis ra ion accoun or and address heseemissions and work o res ore balance o America’s public lands and wa ers.

Claire Moser is a Research and Advocacy Associa e wi h he Public Lands Projec a he

Cen er for American Progress. Joshua Man ell is a governmen rela ions represen a ive a TeWilderness Socie y. Nidhi Takar is he Depu y Direc or of he Public Lands Projec a heCen er. Chase Hun ley is he senior governmen rela ions direc or a Te Wilderness Socie y. Mat Lee-Ashley is a Senior Fellow and Direc or of he Public Lands Projec a he Cen er.



11 Center for American Progress | Cutting Greenhouse Gas from Fossil Fuel Extraction on Federal Lands and Waters

Endnotes

1 Office of the Press Secretary, “FACT SHEET: U.S.-China JointAnnouncement on Climate Change and Clean EnergyCooperation” (The White House, 2014), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/11/fact-sheet-us-china-joint-announcement-climate-change-and-clean-energy-c .

2 Stratus Consulting, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from FossilFuel Energy Extracted from Federal Lands and Waters: AnUpdate” (Washington: Stratus Consulting, 2014), availableat https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/WildernessSociety_GHGEmissions_12-23Revisions.pdf

3 Stratus Consulting, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from FossilEnergy Extracted from Federal Lands and Waters,” (2012),available at http://wilderness.org/sites/default/les/FINAL%20STRATUS%20REPORT.pdf.

4 U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Agri-culture, New Energy Frontier: Balancing Energy Developmenton Federal Lands (2011), available at http://www.doi.gov/whatwedo/energy/index.cfm.

5 The White House, “Federal Greenhouse Gas Accounting andReporting Guidance” (2012), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/les/microsites/ceq/revised_federal_greenhouse_gas_accounting_and_reporting_

guidance_060412.pdf .

6 Ibid.

7 “FY 2010 Federal Government Greenhouse Gas Inventory byAgency,” available at https://catalog.data.gov/dataset/fy2010-federal-government-greenhouse-gas-inventory-by-agency (last accessed December 2014).

8 Council on Environmental Quality, Revised Draft Guidance forGreenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Change Impacts (TheWhite House, 2014), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/initiatives/nepa/ghg-guidance .

9 Stratus Consulting, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from FossilFuel Energy Extracted from Federal Lands and Waters: AnUpdate”; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “GreenhouseGas Equivalencies Calculator,” available at http://www.epa.gov/cleanenergy/energy-resources/calculator.html (lastaccessed December 2014).

10 Jessica Goad and Matt Lee-Ashley, “The Clogged Carbon Sink:U.S. Public Lands Are the Source of 4.5 Times More CarbonPollution Than They Can Absorb” (Washington: Center forAmerican Progress, 2013), available at http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/ news/2013/12/05/80277/the-clogged-carbon-sink-u-spublic-lands-are-the-source-of-4-5-times-more-carbonpollution-than-they-canabsorb/.

11 Goad and Lee-Ashley, “The Clogged Carbon Sink.”

12 Stratus Consulting, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil FuelEnergy Extracted from Federal Lands and Waters: An Update.”

13 Nidhi Thakar and Michael Madowitz, “Federal Coal Leasing inthe Powder River Basin: A Bad Deal for Taxpayers” (Washington:Center for American Progress, 2014), available at https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/green/report/2014/07/29/94204/federal-coal-leasing-in-the-powder-river-basin/.

14 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “National GreenhouseGas Emissions Data,” available at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/usinventoryreport.html (lastaccessed February 2015).

15 Thakar and Madowitz, “Federal Coal Leasing in the PowderRiver Basin.”

16 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, “WorkingGroup I Contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment ReportClimate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis, Final DraftUnderlying Scientic-Technical Assessment” (2014),available at http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg1/.

17 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Overview ofGreenhouse Gases,” available at http://epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html (last accessed December 2014).

18 Claire Moser, Nidhi Thakar, and Matt-Lee Ashley, “ReducingMethane Pollution from Fossil-Fuel Production on America’sPublic Lands: A Needed Step to Combat Climate Change”(Washington: Center for American Progress, 2014), availableat http://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/ReducingMethane.pdf ; The Wilderness Society,“Climate Change and Methane: Causes, Consequences andSolutions for Public Lands” (2014), available at http://wilderness.org/sites/default/les/TWS%20Methane%20Emissions%20Policy%20Report.pdf .

19 ICF International, “Economic Analysis of Methane EmissionsReduction Opportunities in the U.S. Onshore and NaturalGas Industries” (2014), available at http://www.edf.org/sites/default/les/methane_cost_curve_report.pdf .

20 U.S. Government Accountability Office, “Federal Oil and GasLeases: Opportunities Exist to Capture Vented and FlaredNatural Gas, Which Would Increase Royalty Payments andReduce Greenhouse Gases,” GAO-11-34, Report toCongressional Requestors, October 2010, available at http://www.gao.gov/assets/320/311826.pdf/.

21 Ibid., p. 10.

22 Authors’ estimate is based off of reported estimated methaneemissions in 2008 and 2013 as indicated in Table A.3 in Riesand Wagner, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Fuel

Energy Extracted from Federal Lands and Waters: An Update.”

23 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation andEnforcement, National Notice to Lessees and Operators ofFederal Oil and Gas Leases Outer Continental Shelf (U.S.Department of the Interior, 2011), available at http://www.bsee.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Notices-to-Lessees/2011/11-n04/ ; Minerals Management Service, “Oil and Gasand Sulphur Operations in the Outer Continental Shelf-Oiland Gas Production Requirements,” Federal Register , April 19,2010, available at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2010/04/19/2010-8798/oil-and-gas-and-sulphur-operations-in-the-outer-continental-shelf-oil-and-gas-production .

24 Stratus Consulting, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from FossilFuel Energy Extracted from Federal Lands and Waters: AnUpdate,” Table A.5.

25 Authors’ estimate is based off of reported estimated methaneemissions in 2008 and 2013 as indicated in Stratus Consulting,

“Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Fuel Energy Extractedfrom Federal Lands and Waters: An Update,” Table A.4. TheOGOR data include some federal leases that are managed aspart of communitization agreements. These agreementsinclude collections of leases for federal and some nonfederalproduction that draw from the same reservoir, OGOR data alsoinclude some portion of production from state, tribal, andprivate lands. A nonfederal lease could include an AmericanIndian, state, and/or fee lease.

26 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Inventory of U.S.Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990–2012 (2014),available at http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2014-Main-Text.pdf, pp.3–62.

27 Moser, Thakar, and Lee-Ashley, “Reducing Methane Pollutionfrom Fossil-Fuel Production on America’s Public Lands.”

28 Ibid.

29 Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, Priority Agenda Enhancing the Climate Resilience of America’s NaturalResources (The White House, 2014), available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/les/docs/enhancing_climate_resilience_of_americas_natural_resources.pdf .

30 lbid.

31 lbid.

32 Office of the Press Secretary, “FACT SHEET: Administration Takes Steps Forward on Climate Action Plan by AnnouncingActions to Cut Methane Emissions” (The White House, 2015),available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/01/14/fact-sheet-administration-takes-steps-forward-climate-action-plan-anno-1 .

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Cutting Greenhouse Gas from Fossil-Fuel Extraction on Federal Lands and Waters

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