The reputation of natural gas as a clean fuel has been repeatedly undermined by unfavorable emissions data. But now, several new studies suggest that the problem could be even bigger than we imagined. Do these studies paint an accurate picture of LNG, or are they just more anti-fossil fuel hype? The short answer is: it’s complicated. The University of Texas at Austin earlier this month warned that the expansion of oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure along the Gulf Coast could add half a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions to America’s total every year by 2030. This, the UT said, was equivalent to 8 percent of the country’s current total in emissions and would come from new refineries, petrochemical plants and, perhaps a little unexpectedly for the layperson, liquefied natural gas plants. Touted as “freedom gas” by the Donald Trump administration, LNG has quickly turned into a major export […]