An inventory of greenhouse gas emissions due to natural gas pipeline incidents in the United States and Canada from 1980s to 2021

Natural gas is believed to be a critical transitional energy source. However, natural gas pipelines, once failed, will contribute to a large amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including methane from uncontrolled natural gas venting and carbon dioxide from flared natural gas. However, the GHG emissions caused by pipeline incidents are not included in the regular inventories, making the counted GHG amount deviate from the reality. This study, for the first time, establishes an inventory framework for GHG emissions including all natural gas pipeline incidents in the two of the largest gas producers and consumers in North America (United States and Canada) from 1980s to 2021. The inventory comprises GHG emissions resulting from gathering and transmission pipeline incidents in a total of 24 states or regions in the United States between 1970 and 2021, local distribution pipeline incidents in 22 states or regions between 1970 and 2021, as well as natural gas pipeline incidents in a total of 7 provinces or regions in Canada between 1979 and 2021. These datasets can improve the accuracy of regular emission inventories by covering more emission sources in the United States and Canada and provide essential information for climate-oriented pipeline integrity management.

Automated summary

Natural gas pipelines can contribute to significant greenhouse gas emissions in the form of methane and carbon dioxide. However, these emissions are not accounted for in regular inventories, leading to an inaccurate representation of the actual greenhouse gas amounts. This study establishes a comprehensive inventory framework for greenhouse gas emissions from natural gas pipeline incidents in the United States and Canada, covering multiple states and regions over several decades. These datasets are crucial for improving emission inventories and informing climate-oriented pipeline integrity management.