Nathan Phillips

Leak-free natural gas may just be a pipe dream

March 1, 2017

San Francisco Examiner Nathan Phillips, College of Arts and Sciences  On Oct. 23, 2015, Southern California Gas Company found a massive leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility… Expert quote: ““If our cities are supposed to be smart cities, we must go beyond silo infrastructure,” Dr. Nathan Phillips of Boston University, one of the members of […]

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New Jersey gas leak explosion: How common are such explosions in homes?

October 6, 2016

Christian Science Monitor Nathan Phillips, College of Arts & Sciences On early Tuesday morning, a smell of natural gas in the air (and authorities directing them to evacuate) alarmed some residents in Patterson, N.J…. Expert quote: “When it [natural gas] is in a confined space such as a basement or manhole and fills up to […]

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Study Shows Hundreds of Gas Leaks in Merrimack Valley

June 19, 2016

WHAV Nathan Phillips, College of Arts & Sciences While burning natural gas to create heat and electricity is considered far cleaner than burning coal or oil, experts say, unburned gas poses a significant environmental threat… Expert quote: “So, it’s no big mystery we have this old, aging infrastructure, and we know the leaks are concentrated […]

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Missing gas leaks raising questions

June 4, 2016

Boston Globe (subscription required) Nathan Phillips, College of Arts & Sciences Thousands of natural gas leaks reported by the state’s utility companies disappeared from the records they later submitted to the state, according to an independent analysis by a Cambridge group that says their study shows the leaks have likely not been repaired… Expert quote: […]

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Survey gives clearer view of risky leaks from gas mains

March 29, 2016

PhysOrg Nathan Phillips, College of Arts & Sciences Margaret Hendrick, College of Arts & Sciences, PhD candidate Precise measurements of leaks from natural gas pipelines across metropolitan Boston have demonstrated that almost a sixth of the leaks qualified as potentially explosive, and that a handful of leaks emitted half of the total gas lost… View […]

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In Mass., Many Small Gas Leaks Add Up To Big Consequences For The Environment

February 29, 2016

WBUR News Nathan Phillips, College of Arts & Sciences Maybe it’s because you couldn’t see it that one of the biggest environmental disasters since the 2010 BP oil spill recently came and went with little news coverage… Expert quote: “[Methane] traps heat more efficiently and creates that blanketing effect over the Earth’s atmosphere and holds […]

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Mapping out the Porter Ranch gas leak

February 4, 2016

MSNBC.com Nathan Phillips, College of Arts & Sciences Professor Nathan Phillips from the Department of Earth and Environment at Boston University drove his car all over Porter Ranch to determine how far back from the gas leak the plume has spread… View video of expert Nathan Phillips

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Methane Is Leaking All Over The Place

February 3, 2016

FiveThirtyEight Nathan Phillips, College of Arts & Sciences It’s now been 103 days since workers from the Southern California Gas Company discovered a natural gas leak coming from the Aliso Canyon underground storage field near the Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles… Expert quote: “It’s basically like Google Street View, except for methane. These are not […]

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A map of methane levels near the massive gas leak in L.A.

January 21, 2016

Atlas Obscura Nathan Phillips, College of Arts & Sciences It’s been three months since Southern California Gas Co. first reported a massive leak in its Aliso Canyon gas field, on the edge of Los Angeles, and the faulty well is still pouring methane into the air… View full article referencing expert Nathan Phillips

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‘Plume chaser’ researchers fan out across San Fernando Valley to map reach of Porter Ranch gas leak

January 14, 2016

Los Angeles Daily News Nathan Phillips, College of Arts & Sciences Nathan Phillips and Bob Ackley cruised by the leaking gas field in Porter Ranch, then dropped their gaze to a portable wind and methane monitor… Expert quote: “We’re plume chasers. We want to discover what people are breathing, on the sidewalks and the streets […]

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