Examining methane emissions data from Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection for more than 31,000 abandoned wells, the researchers found that only 10 percent of the wells emitted 90 percent of the methane. It's like the 80-20 rule, but more so!
What did these wells have in common? They were either unplugged gas wells or gas wells in coal regions that were plugged but vented (a safety measure).
With this information, governments and businesses can identify and seal up the likely problem wells, at a fractional cost.
Read a bit more about the research at Science Daily, or dig into the original paper.
