Presenting Methane Emission Data and Results

In the United States, methane emission data are generated by various entities including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), state and local governments, industry, and researchers from academia, national laboratories, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The stakeholder community using these emission data is even broader and includes policymakers at various levels of government, industry, scientific communities, and the general public. The needs of these stakeholders are diverse, as are their academic backgrounds and their understanding of the generation and reporting of methane emission information. Careful consideration of the audience for any published methane emission data is a key step in generating products that will be scientifically valid and properly used. For the scientific community, presentation of results in peer-reviewed literature would be expected to facilitate dissemination of key technical findings to fellow researchers. Similarly, various governmental agencies, research institutes, industries, and NGOs also publish methane results and reports, but they may not have undergone the peer-review process. As a broader audience attempts to understand and apply the research findings, there is increasing potential for misinterpreting and incorrectly using the results.