Sydney Morning Herald: Department issues coal seam gas emissions warning

No one knows precisely how much methane leaks from Australia's growing coal seam gas fields, and more research is needed to back up industry claims about greenhouse emissions, a report produced for the federal government has found.

Methane is a far more potent gas than carbon dioxide, so accurate measurements are needed to work out the industry's contribution to global warming, said the report commissioned by the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency.

"There is effectively no public information about methane emissions associated with unconventional gas production in Australia," it said. "This is a matter of some public policy concern, given the projected large growth in production of CSG."  MORE