EPA Report Shows Methane Emissions From Oil & Gas Development

BLOOMBERG QUICK TO ATTRIBUTE IT ALL TO FRACKING IN MISLEADING AND INACCURATE HEADLINE

From Energywire (this is how a responsible outlet reports the story):
Petroleum and natural gas systems in the United States accounted for 40 percent of the methane emissions reported to U.S. EPA in 2011, the first year that emissions from oil and gas were included in the agency's greenhouse gas inventory.
That translates to 83 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, reported to EPA. Including carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, the industry emitted 225 million metric tons of CO2e.
Read the whole article here (subscription is required).  The amount of methane emitted by oil and gas operations is a climate concern, regardless of how much lower natural gas emissions of harmful CO2 are as compared to emissions from coal.

However, Bloomberg chose to lead their story with this headline:

Fracking Seen by EPA as No. 2 Emitter of Greenhouse Gases

That headline is...let's see, how does one word this...wrong.

To lump all oil and gas activity under the term fracking is irresponsible and intentionally misleading, and the wording Bloomberg chose for this headline only lends further weight to the accusations of bias against shale drilling that their reporting on the topic has generated.

There is legitimate concern to be raised discussed on the basis of this EPA report, which is undermined when an outlet chooses their words based on agenda rather than facts.

The entire Bloomberg article can be read here.

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