Summary/Abstract
The “2020 BLM Specialist Report on Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Climate Trends” presents the estimated emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) attributable to fossil fuels produced on lands and mineral estate managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). More specifically, this report is focused on estimating GHG emissions from coal, oil, and gas development that is occurring, and is projected to occur, on the federal onshore mineral estate. The report includes a summary of emissions estimates from reasonably foreseeable federal fossil fuel development and production over the next 12 months, as well as longer term assessments of potential federal fossil fuel GHG emissions and the anticipated climate change impacts resulting from the cumulative global GHG burden. The report is an important tool for evaluating the cumulative impacts of GHG emissions from fossil fuel energy leasing and development authorizations on federal onshore mineral estate relative to several emission scopes and base years.
Emissions estimates were developed using fiscal year (FY) 2020 data for both direct and indirect emissions. Direct emissions can result from authorized activities such as drilling or venting, while indirect emissions occur as a consequence of the authorized action and can include activities such as the processing, transportation, and any end-use combustion of the fossil fuel mineral products. The emission estimates are expressed as megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) on either a rate or absolute basis. Table ES-1 shows the estimated GHG emissions from actual fossil fuel production from the Federal mineral estate in FY 2020. Table ES-2 shows the 2020 emissions by state, where extraction is the direct portion of the emissions, and processing and transport represent a portion of the indirect emissions along with the end-use estimates.