Natural gas leaks and tree death: A first-look case-control study of urban trees in Chelsea, MA USA

Schollaert, Claire; Ackley, Robert; DeSantis, Andy; Polka, Erin

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114464

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Consumers pay for infrastructure improvements such as pipe repair or replacement, and our findings suggest that these improvements may not be equally distributed. Additionally, natural gas leaks can cause vegetation to die, , adversely affecting neighborhood aesthetics, shade and cooling, and potentially reducing property value. This can have cascading impacts on the sense of neighborhood satisfaction and can impact the sense of life satisfaction …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Injustices of Leaks from Urban Natural Gas Distribution Systems: Patterns among and within 13 U.S. Metro Areas

Weller

Palacios³

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Natural gas leaks in local distribution systems can develop as underground pipeline infrastructure degrades over time. These leaks lead to safety, economic, and climate change burdens on society. We develop an environmental justice analysis of natural gas leaks discovered using advanced leak detection in 13 U.S. metropolitan areas. We use Bayesian spatial regression models to study the relationship between the density of leak indications and sociodemographic indicators in census tracts. Across all metro areas combined, we found that leak densities increase with increasing percent people of color and with decreasing median household income. These patterns of infrastructure injustice also existed within most metro areas, even after accounting for housing age and the spatial structure of the data. Considering the injustices described here, we identify actions available to utilities, regulators, and advocacy groups that can be taken to improve the equity of local natural gas distribution systems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Injustices of Leaks from Urban Natural Gas Distribution Systems: Patterns among and within 13 U.S. Metro Areas

Weller

Palacios³

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…Leaking infrastructure has also been reported to cause damage to street trees. When leaked CH 4 travels through the soil in a tree pit, it displaces oxygen by volume and limits tree growth or causes tree death [50][51][52]. In addition to the environmental impacts of aging natural gas infrastructure, emerging research suggests that natural gas energy poses a significant threat to the health of the public.…”

Section: The Natural Gas Case Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The BosWash Infrastructure Biome and Energy System Succession

Wright

Ackley²,

Gopal

et al. 2022

Infrastructures

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The BosWash corridor is a megalopolis, or large urbanized region composed of interconnected transportation, infrastructure, physiography, and sociopolitical systems. Previous work has not considered the BosWash corridor as an integrated, holistic ecosystem. Building on the emerging field of infrastructure ecology, the region is conceptualized here as an infrastructure biome, and this concept is applied to the region’s energy transition to a post-fossil fueled heating sector, in analogy to ecosystem succession. In this conception, infrastructure systems are analogous to focal species. A case study for an energy succession from an aging natural gas infrastructure to a carbon-free heating sector is presented, in order to demonstrate the utility of the infrastructure biome framework to address climate and energy challenges facing BosWash communities. Natural gas is a dominant energy source that emits carbon dioxide when burned and methane when leaked along the process chain; therefore, a transition to electricity is widely seen as necessary toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Utilizing an infrastructure biome framework for energy policy, a regional gas transition plan akin to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is generated to harmonize natural gas transition within the BosWash infrastructure biome and resolve conflict arising from a siloed approach to infrastructure management at individual city and state levels. This work generates and utilizes the novel infrastructure biome concept to prescribe a regional energy policy for an element of infrastructure that has not previously been explored at the regional scale—natural gas.

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“…The effect of soil moisture contents on gas migration was not observed (Forde et al, 2018). Surface conditions such as pavement or structures create barriers to gas flow and release, increasing lateral transport or causing accumulation belowground (Ulrich et al, 2019;Schollaert et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In subsurface NG leakage scenarios, the effect of the subsurface conditions on the resulting surface CH 4 distributions is not yet well understood even though there were several studies investigated the interconnections between subsurface CH 4 migration and emissions (Chamindu Deepagoda et al, 2016;Hendrick et al, 2016;Forde et al, 2018;Ulrich et al, 2019;Schollaert et al, 2020). Gas behavior is influenced by soil conditions, subsurface infrastructure, pipeline pressure, and gas composition (Okamoto and Gomi, 2011;Lyman et al, 2017;Ulrich et al, 2019;Lyman et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A closer look at underground natural gas pipeline leaks across the United States

Cho

Smits

Steadman

et al. 2022

Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene

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Underground natural gas (NG) pipeline leakage can result in methane (CH4) buildup and migration through the soil. What is not well understood in such scenarios is how the soil conditions affect the gas migration behavior, particularly in regard to the relative contributions of specific soil properties such as soil moisture content. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of soil properties on CH4 concentration and migration from leaking underground NG pipelines. Site characteristics such as surface cover and spatial dimensions, soil samples, and gas concentration data were collected from over 70 gas leakage sites across the United States using a standardized sampling method. Soil samples were collected from excavation sites that were 1.5′–5′ in depth. The collected soil samples were analyzed in the laboratory to measure the soil texture, permeability, and moisture. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate the effects of soil properties on CH4 migration distance and concentration. Soil texture was consistent across geographic locations due to standardized pipeline backfill protocols, allowing for the analysis of gas concentration and transport data with respect to soil conditions. Soil moisture content was the dominant influence on the gas concentration and spreading distance. High soil moisture content was associated with reduced lateral diffusion and elevated concentrations near the leak point, whereas dry conditions were associated with reduced concentrations and greater spreading distance. Increasing soil moisture content reduced the lateral diffusion of CH4 into the soil due to water-induced tortuosity, resulting in elevated concentrations close to the leak point. Lateral migration of CH4 was suspected to be by diffusion, starting at 5 m from the leaks, while transport within the immediate vicinity of the leak was controlled by advection. These findings demonstrate a pronounced effect of soil moisture content and permeability on CH4 migration distance and concentration, providing key insight into the effects of soil conditions on NG migration and how to account for such effects in leak detection surveys.

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Natural gas leaks and tree death: A first-look case-control study of urban trees in Chelsea, MA USA

Cited by 13 publications

References 18 publications

Environmental Injustices of Leaks from Urban Natural Gas Distribution Systems: Patterns among and within 13 U.S. Metro Areas

Environmental Injustices of Leaks from Urban Natural Gas Distribution Systems: Patterns among and within 13 U.S. Metro Areas

The BosWash Infrastructure Biome and Energy System Succession

A closer look at underground natural gas pipeline leaks across the United States

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