Using a new approach to tracking methane, Scientists discovered North Dakota’s Bakken formation was leaking raw natural gas, including large amounts of methane, according to Scientific American.

The study found the Bakken was losing methane at a rate of 275,000 tons per year or the equivalent of 1.45 million cars added the nations highways for a year.

Incidentally, methane is 86 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a global warmer for the first nine years of its life.

It is still under debate weather or not the behavior of methane measure on a global scale is primarily being influenced by oil and gas production.

Learn more: Scientific American > Scientists Perfect a Way to Sense Airborne Methane