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We present atmospheric measurements of methane (CH₄) and ethane (C₂H₆) taken aboard a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration WP‐3D research aircraft in 2015 over oil‐ and natural gas‐producing regions of the central and western United States. We calculate emission rates from the horizontal flux of CH₄ and C₂H₆ in the planetary boundary layer downwind of five of these oil‐ and gas‐producing regions: the Bakken in North Dakota, the Barnett in Texas, the Denver Basin in Colorado, the Eagle Ford in Texas, and the Haynesville in Texas and Louisiana. In general, we find that the enhancement of C₂H₆ relative to CH₄ in the atmosphere is similar to their relative abundances in locally produced natural gas. For the Bakken and Barnett regions, both absolute CH₄ emissions and the percentage of produced natural gas emitted to the atmosphere are consistent with previous studies. The percentage …