Just Call it Methane Gas
Updated: Oct 14
The first in a three-part series on the role of methane ("natural gas) in global warming, how Whatcom County and Bellingham contribute to methane pollution, Puget Sound Energy's and the oil and gas industry's plans to ratchet up our use, and what WEC, working collectively with others, is doing to help them turn this ship around.
by Cynthia Mitchell
September 15, 2026
Everybody’s doin’ it, ventin’ it, leakin’ it, methane gas, methane gas! The energy industry has been very effective at convincing us that “natural” gas is environmentally safe, but you should know that “natural” gas is mostly methane. And methane is the culprit behind nearly 30% of our planetary warming, with over one-third of human-made methane emissions coming from the energy industry, mostly from the extraction, production, and transport of oil and gas.
The term “natural gas” originated in the 19th century to distinguish underground methane deposits from manufactured coal gas and whale oil used for lighting and heating. The need for that distinction is long gone. It’s time to call it what it is: methane gas, a prime contributors to our overheating planet. And there is nothing natural about a world on fire. Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are the two leading drivers of global warming, with CO2 acting as the long-term backbone of temperature rise and CH4 providing a shorter-term, but highly intense, burst of heat. Combined, it’s a one-two planet gut punch.
Because methane is 80+ times more potent than carbon dioxide in heating up the earth’s atmosphere, and relatively short-lived compared to carbon dioxide(7-12 years vs. 100), curbing methane emissions should be the low-hanging fruit of the climate transition. And, because methane gas emits carbon dioxide when combusted/burned, cutting emissions from methane gas operations is our best near- and long-term climate solution. The potential for major reductions in the near term is huge: Around 40% of methane emissions from fossil fuels could be avoided at no net cost, using abatement measures that capture and sell otherwise wasted methane gas. Key "no net cost" basic operations and maintenance abatement measures include: leak detection and repair, vapor recovery, compressor seal replacements, plugger lifts and wellhead recovery. In other words, it’s time to kick methane gas from fossil fuels, period.
Methane emission events detected and tracked by satellite around the world grew 50% in 2023 relative to 2022. Of the methane emissions from fossil fuels, close to 70% come from the top 10 emitting countries. And the U.S. is the largest emitter of methane from oil and gas operations. U.S. oil and methane gas wells, pipelines, and compressors are spewing three times the amount of methane as previously thought prior to satellite monitoring.
EXTRACTION – THE “ROOT” OF THE PROBLEM
The technology of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, commonly referred to as “fracking,” set off a boom in oil and gas production across the U.S. and Canada starting in the early 2000’s. In his 2014 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama said that: “If extracted safely, natural gas is the ‘bridge fuel’ that can power our economy with less of the carbon pollution that causes climate change.” While that entire sentence is highly questionable in its assertions, there’s no doubt that, as it turns out, “fracking safely” is no easy thing. The widespread use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling is a highway to hell, releasing methane into the atmosphere through leaking, venting and flaring. Nearly 85% of methane emissions come from extraction, production, gathering and processing at both onshore and offshore facilities.
THE HALTING TRANSITION TO SOLAR AND WIND
In the early years of fracking, new gas supplies did displace some existing coal mining and burning for electricity. However, globally, coal generation is being displaced primarily by wind and solar, which, in the first half of 2025, for the first time generated more electricity than coal. And now wind and solar are displacing gas generation. For the first month ever, in April 2026, wind and solar together generated 22% of global electricity, compared with 20% from methane gas.
Washington State and our local communities contribute to global warming via (1) burning of methane gas (creating mostly CO2 and some CH4) to generate electricity, (2) power oil and gas refineries that produce and distribute liquified natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), (3) other industrial processes such as municipal waste processing (like Bellingham’s Post Point wastewater treatment incinerators), (4) space and water heating to homes and businesses, (5) internal combustion engine vehicles, and (6) agriculture production.
Washington state does not have any commercial oil fields or active crude oil production, relying on crude oil and methane gas imported via pipeline, marine vessel, and rail from Alaska, Canada, and the Bakken fields in North Dakota. There are twelve interstate pipelines in Washington split evenly, with six carrying methane gas and six carrying hazardous liquids like gasoline and jet fuel. As Bellingham learned tragically in the Olympic pipeline explosion, pipelines carry their own special hazards of explosions and hazardous spills.
Unlike solid coal, which is easy, and relatively safe, to transport, methane gas has the potential to leak into the atmosphere from rail tanker cars or pipelines or any transfer points between source and destination. Beyond the global warming effects, more methane gas moving via rail or pipelines means increased risk of spills and explosions.
If you think our state and local numbers on methane emissions, or even CO2 emissions, don’t add up to much in the national and global scheme—guess again. We are not some two-bit player. State and local CH4 and CO2 emissions, while important, are only a small portion of our state’s contribution to the greater global harm from oil and gas extraction, production, and transport via fracking. For instance, we choose to drive more miles and demand more electricity, which increases economic signals to the oil and gas industry to push for more extraction and combustion, which increases warming, smog, congestion, and sprawl, which then lead to more driving and demand for electricity and gasoline. It’s a fire feeding on itself.
Know that the industry is emboldened to take production to record levels and is depending on Washingtonians to use more methane gas for electricity generation, to heat homes and businesses and power industries, and produce more LNG and LPG. That makes us all enablers to the industry.
Per Bill McKibben, noted environmentalist and writer, solving the climate crisis requires moving beyond individual lifestyle changes into organized collective action. WEC is here working with others to help navigate the way forward—one that protects our environment, keeps our communities safe and healthy, and fosters economic prosperity. In part 2 and 3 of this blog series, I will discuss PSE’s proposed massive buildout of new gas generation, and the oil and gas industry’s proposed expansions in oil and gas pipeline transport capacity.
References and Notes
Global methane tracker 2025, Gas transportation and other downstream operations are responsible for the remaining 15%. Most downstream emissions come from gas transportation, including emissions from transmission and distribution via pipelines or as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and regasification. Other downstream sources include storage, refining and oil transport.
Global methane tracker 2024 This is because the required outlays for abatement measures are less than the market value of the additional methane gas captured and sold or used. The share is higher for oil and natural gas (50%) than for coal (15%).
Global methane tracker 2026, "...still no sign that methane emissions from fossil fuel operations are falling, despite well-known and proven mitigation pathways. Oil, gas and coal production output reached record highs in 2025…”
“Love is a Glorian – resistance and insistence – our refusal to be numb to a world on fire.” Terry Tempest Williams, “The Glorians”, p. 278, 2026.
C2ES Global Emissions: According to the IEA, CO2 accounts for roughly 74% of total global man-made GHG emissions, while CH4 accounts for approximately 19%.
Fast Facts on Transportation Greenhouse Gas Emissions The agriculture and waste sectors are also major sources of methane emissions, but fossil fuel supply offers the greatest potential for immediate reductions in methane emissions.” The transportation sector is also one of the largest contributors to anthropogenic U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
2015 Methane Regulartions: Obama’s EPA knew early on that they needed to cut methane emissions for his climate plan to work, issuing a new rule aimed to limit leaks from new oil and gas operations.
EIA Today in Energy: Leaking, venting, and flaring are three ways gases—mainly methane—escape during oil and gas operations. Leaking is accidental escape through cracks or loose seals, venting is the intentional release of raw gas into the air, and flaring is burning waste gas off into a flame.
Note that flaring also emits methane because flares often malfunction, remain unlit, or burn gas inefficiently. Flares can go out and release raw gas directly into the air 3% to 5% of the time they are in operation. Even when a flare is burning, it does not destroy 100% of the gas. Studies show average flare combustion efficiency is around 91%, meaning nearly 9% of the methane escapes unburned.
2021 Final Refinery Report, Research Council: Washington state ranks 5th in the U.S. for total petroleum refining capacity, operating five major refineries. The state is a net exporter of petroleum, consuming only about 51% to 53% of its refined output. [If WA consumes more than half of its refined output, how is it a net exporter?]Its five refineries produce a surplus, exporting roughly 40% to 47% of finished fuels—primarily gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel—to neighboring states like Oregon and California, as well as foreign markets.
Comments