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nder increasing pressure to reassess its infrastructure and output amidst evolving industry and societal standards and conversations, pipeline operators in the oil and gas industry are on the hunt for innovative and alternative methods of pipeline leak detection. With 4.8 million km of natural gas pipelines stretching across the US, there is nothing new about the need to reduce unplanned leaks or spillage. However, now, between governing regulatory bodies and firms, stakeholders, activist groups, and, often critically, the consensus of the wider general public, there are more eyes on the global oil and gas industry than ever before. Despite each group’s varying motivations, from financial loss to health and safety risks to environmental implications and impact, minimising emissions is the unanimous goal.
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According to data from the US Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), between 2019 and 2023, pipeline issues and leaks released almost 274.7 million m3 of gas into the atmosphere. Currently, with the federal court ruling that large, accidental, or unexpected leaks are exempt from being included within the greenhouse gas tracker, these emissions are not being traced back to the oil and gas industry – at least not officially. This, however, is set to change.
No room for error Under targets by the Biden Administration and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there is an aim to crack down on industry emissions with large-scale financial