In this January 2026 readout, an OpenMinds NextGen student team working with Williams examined how a U.S. state should assess differentiated natural gas and why methane abatement matters to that assessment. The six-person team came from Texas A&M, Stanford, the University of Calgary, Vanderbilt and Arizona State.
Key points
- Methane has about 80 times the near-term warming impact of CO2 over 20 years but breaks down in about 12 years, so cutting it can yield relatively quick climate benefits.
- Coal-to-gas switching delivered 65% of U.S. CO2 reductions from 2005 to 2019, but methane emissions remain a challenge.
- The team found Trace-and-Claim tracking delivers higher impact at the lowest cost, about $1 to $4.70 per metric ton (under 1% of commodity cost), and called for standard data protocols, open digital registries and regulator support.
- In New York, where 60% of households heat with natural gas, differentiated gas could support emissions goals while keeping firm winter coverage.
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