Academics can be idiots too, I mean seriously - what other result did they think would happen? More leaks maybe? Geez.
"Scientists: Replacing old gas pipes reduces leaks"
Millions of dollars invested in the last decade to replace crumbling natural gas mains in cities like Cincinnati and Durham, N.C. are having a dramatic impact on leaks, a new study released today shows.
Researchers also cruised the streets of Manhattan with a methane-detecting instrument to map the dramatic frequency of leaks from Civil War-era pipes that still plague the gas infrastructure.
The differences in the leaks detected across those cities are dramatic. In New York, where it could take more than 50 years to upgrade old iron and bare-steel pipes, researchers found more than 1,000 gas leaks still plaguing the city.
By comparison, the scientists found 132 and 351 gas leaks respectively in Durham and Cincinnati, where utilities are executing aggressive replacement plans, according to the findings published today in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Science and Technology.
“There hasn’t before been a solid example of the efficacy of pipeline replacement programs,” said Rob Jackson, an author of the paper and environmental scientist at Stanford University.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/09/09/scientists-replacing-old-gas-pipes-reduces-leaks/71898584/