EPA Needs to Improve Air Emissions Data for the Oil and Natural Gas Production Sector - U S Environmental Protection Agency - Bog

Gas production in the United States has grown significantly in recent years. From 1992 to 2010,3 the number of producing gas wells increased by 76 percent. Onshore gross withdrawals of gas increased by about 43 percent. About 11,000 new wells were drilled annually from 1992 to 2010, on average. According to a 2011 EPA fact sheet,4 the United States had nearly 1.1 million producing oil and gas wells in 2009. Growth in gas production has been particularly significant in areas covered by EPA Regions 3, 6, and 8. For example, in Region 8, the number of gas wells increased by 416 percent and gross withdrawals increased by 163 percent between 1992 and 2010.