Incorporating Out-of-State Fuel Cycle Emissions in New York State’s Emissions Inventory

New York State law requires accounting for air emissions associated with both the generation of electricity imported into the state and the extraction and transmission of fossil fuels imported into the state. This requirement necessitates using upstream fuel cycle factor data.

ERG coupled its expertise in emissions inventories and life cycle assessment to conduct an inventory for the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. For the draft inventory, ERG developed customized fuel cycle results for natural gas, petroleum, and coal. The results identify the locations for fuel extraction, processing, and distribution relevant to New York State.

To generate the results, we used both national and region-specific, bottom-up models (including many we support ourselves, such as Argonne’s GREET model and models for the National Energy Technology Laboratory). We conducted additional sensitivity analyses using top-down emission satellite data across the fuel cycle. The ERG team presented the draft findings of the fuel cycle analysis at the New York Department of Environmental Conservation’s public hearing on oil and gas emissions accounting.