Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Environmentalists say proposed state rules are too lenient, industry says they're too costly. But they might bring new technology and jobs to the state.
The explosion happened after a man tried to light a stove in the home. The man, his girlfriend, and a child were all life-flighted to a burn center in Pittsburgh.
Emissions from the nation’s oil and gas industry are nearly 60 percent higher than EPA estimates. That's bad for the climate because methane is 86 times more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.
Permits for new and modified natural gas wells and compressor stations will require more leak detection for methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. DEP can also now penalize those companies that don't comply.
Scientists are turning to everything from drones to high-resolution satellites in the battle to keep methane inside the nation's natural gas infrastructure and out of the atmosphere.
That fleet of Google Street View cars you see roaming Pittsburgh isn't just collecting images for Google Maps. Some cars are actually helping detect natural gas leaks under the city's streets.
