Methane emissions from natural gas production — including hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking” — are lower than previously thought, according to a major new study from researchers at the University of Texas. The research was done in close coordination with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a major U.S. environmental organization.

The study, published December 9 in two parts in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, finds that methane emissions from the upstream portion of the supply chain are only 0.38 percent of production. That’s about 10 percent lower than what the same research team found in a study released in September 2013. The researchers also noted that a small number of sites accounted for the majority of emissions, suggesting that technologies already in use across the industry are effectively managing methane leakage.

The emissions rate in the study released today also corresponds with the U.S. EPA’s estimates for methane emissions, which are far lower than what anti-fracking groups frequently claim are “leaking” as a result of fracking. Earlier this year, EPA observed that methane emissions from fracking have fallen by 73 percent since just 2011. Since 1990, methane emissions from U.S. natural gas systems have declined by nearly 17 percent.

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