Letter to Hon. Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of US Department of Transportation - Methane and Gas Emissions

Letter

Dear Secretary Buttigieg:

We are in the midst of a climate crisis, and we write today to urge the Department of
Transportation and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to
address methane emissions in our nation's natural gas pipeline system. Specifically, we request
that PHMSA act quickly to issue robust implementing regulations for the deployment of
advanced methane leak detection technology, which will both improve safety and address the
potent greenhouse gas emissions associated with methane leaks in natural gas pipelines and
gathering lines, as called for under the Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing
Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that the nation's three million miles of
natural gas pipelines carry over 28 trillion cubic feet of natural gas to almost 77 million
customers. Half of this network was built before 1970 and as a result, can be prone to leaks.
Leaks in natural gas gathering, transmission, storage, processing and distribution threaten public
health and our environment and cost industry substantial amounts in escaped methane. Methane
is more than 80 times as potent as carbon dioxide and drives near-term greenhouse gas emission
trends. A 2018 study published in Science found that the volume of natural gas leaking from
across the natural gas supply chain would be enough to fuel 10 million homes and is worth an
estimated $2 billion per year -- and these estimates do not include the significant air quality and
climate benefits associated with abating these methane emissions.

The first step to fixing methane leaks is finding them. Fortunately, effective technologies now
exist to detect, locate, and quantify natural gas leaks quickly and accurately. Enabling swift,
broad deployment of this technology will keep our communities safer, our air cleaner, and our
greenhouse gas emissions lower. That is why in December 2020, Congress reauthorized the
PIPES Act and required PHMSA to create minimum performance standards for leak detection
and repair that reflect the capabilities of commercially-available advanced leak detection
technologies. Minimum performance standards for leak detection should require pipeline
operators to detect, map, quantify, and remediate natural gas leaks, and to expeditiously report
this data in an accessible digital format in order to ensure accountability and progress. Moreover,
any rulemaking should reflect PHMSA's intention to periodically tighten leak detection
requirements as commercially available detection technologies continue to improve.

We are urging the Department of Transportation and PHMSA to take quick action to complete
this rulemaking process and issue strong regulations that will enhance pipeline safety and reduce
harmful methane emissions throughout the United States. We look forward to continuing to work
with you and your Administration to achieve these goals.