West Texas gas operators released tons of excess emissions during June heat wave

West Texas gas operators released tons of excess emissions during June heat wave

By Dylan Baddour and Alejandra Martinez, Texas Tribune and Inside Climate News

(July 19, 2023)

“Many available technologies can reduce gas emissions during extreme heat, according to Bill Caram, executive director of the nonprofit watchdog group Pipeline Safety Trust. 

Mobile compressor stations can empty pipelines into storage tanks instead of releasing gas into the air. Gas could be diverted to other parallel pipelines or cleared from downstream segments in anticipation of heat waves, Caram said.

However, he said, most operators have no financial incentive to minimize emissions.”