Protecting the environment is a top priority for natural gas and pipeline companies.  INGAA’s members deliver clean, abundant, affordable natural gas throughout North America. Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel. As demand for energy increases, expanded use of natural gas has helped improve air quality across the country, by offsetting the use of other, higher carbon-intense fuel sources. According to the EIA, between 2005 – 2019, carbon dioxide emissions from the U.S power sector declined by 33%, with natural gas accounting for more than half of those reductions. 

Because natural gas is primarily made of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, the natural gas industry has been working hard to lower its emissions. In the past 30 years, the industry has reduced the number of pipeline leaks by 94 percent through pipeline integrity and maintenance programs and continued investment in new pipeline facilities. That has prevented 122 million metric tons of carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions. 

Additionally, INGAA analyzed the methane emissions data that the transmission and storage sector reported to EPA between 2011-2017 under Subpart W of the mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule. The data showed that between 2011 and 2017, average methane emissions from transmission and storage natural gas compressor stations decreased by 23 percent. During this time, the total emissions from these facilities decreased from 4,810,192 metric tons of CO2-equivalent to 4,530,277 metric tons of CO2-equivalent. Yet, the number of transmission and storage natural gas compressor stations reporting these data to EPA increased from 465 to 567. That means that the emissions decreased from an average of 10,344 metric tons of CO2-equivalent per facility to 7,990 metric tons of CO2-equivalent per facility. This reduction is equivalent to removing a total of 1.1 million passenger vehicles from the road between 2011 and 2017.

INGAA's members are determined to modernize our nation's interstate natural gas delivery network infrastructure, reduce emissions from our operations and help address the climate crisis by working together as an industry towards achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. Learn more about INGAA's commitment to helping address climate change by reviewing our climate statement.