Methane trackers pick up the slack as U.S. regulatory pressure evaporates

Methane Trackers Meet a New Moment

This article by Exxon Knew is published here as part of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now. When Sharon Wilson arrives on site at an oil and gas facility in Texas, it’s the smell that often greets her first. An odor similar to rotten eggs or a mechanic shop can come from toxic pollutants emitted during fossil fuel production, like hydrogen sulfide and benzene. But Wilson is also there to capture an invisible, odorless pollu…

Methane trackers pick up the slack as U.S. regulatory pressure evaporates

When Sharon Wilson arrives on site at an oil and gas facility in Texas, it’s the smell that often greets her first. An odor similar to rotten eggs or a mechanic shop can come from toxic pollutants emitted during fossil fuel production, like hydrogen sulfide and benzene. But Wilson is also there to capture an invisible, odorless pollutant: methane, a potent greenhouse gas that can be seen only through her optical-gas-imaging camera. Wilson and he…