Extreme Texas Heat Linked to Giant Planet-Warming Methane Releases
A satellite passing over the Permian Basin documented 22 large plumes of unburned natural gas as some critical equipment was forced to shut down due to hot temperatures.
Methane is seen spurting from near a Targa Resources Corp. gas plant in Midland County, Texas, on June 20.
Source: Carbon Mapper, Bloomberg analysis.
As record-breaking heat buckled pavement and hospitalized hundreds across Texas at the start of summer, another disruption occurred unseen: Operators in the largest US energy basin released hundreds of tons of natural gas into the air as crucial equipment was forced to shut down.
That unleashed a geyser of planet-warming methane, the main component of natural gas, into the atmosphere. The spurt of emissions wasn’t unprecedented; extremes of both hot and cold have wreaked havoc in the Permian Basin in the past.