Low production oil and gas (O&G) well sites, comprising 80% of US sites but producing only 6% of output, are identified as disproportionately large methane (CH₄) emission sources. Analysis integrating national site-level O&G production data with CH₄ measurement data (n=240) reveals these sites emit over 4 Tg CH₄, exceeding emissions from the Permian Basin. Low production sites account for roughly half of all O&G well site CH₄ emissions, exhibiting a production-normalized CH₄ loss rate exceeding 10%, significantly higher than the overall US average. Mitigation efforts targeting low production sites are crucial for substantial CH₄ emission reductions.

Mark Omara, Daniel Zavala-Araiza, David R. Lyon, Benjamin Hmiel, Katherine A. Roberts, Steven P. Hamburg