Energy Tomorrow Blog
Texas Flaring Coalition Enhances Industry’s Commitment to Reduce Emissions
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Mark Green
Posted April 3, 2020
The natural gas and oil industry’s commitment to accelerate the reduction of methane emissions is being advanced on a number of fronts. The Environmental Partnership, whose 75 members include 33 of the top 40 U.S. producers of natural gas, is in its third year of sharing of knowledge and technologies to further reduce emissions. This week, the Texas Methane & Flaring Coalition, whose members represent nearly 80% of oil production in the state, was launched to work on flaring.
The coalition’s key initiatives include: developing best practices and opportunities to minimize methane emissions and flaring, improving accuracy and consistency in the reporting of vented and flared volumes and increasing public understanding of the safety and environmental reasons for flaring.
Flaring, Infrastructure and Embracing the Dual Challenge
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Mark Green
Posted August 8, 2019
Certainly, our industry is focused on new innovations and technologies that continue to reduce emissions from natural gas and oil production and improve the environmental performance of our operations and facilities. …
The objective is continued progress. High-production areas, including the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico and the Bakken in North Dakota and Montana, need additional pipeline infrastructure to take away natural gas when it accompanies oil production. More infrastructure could reduce the amount of flaring – regulated, limited burning of methane – that takes place.
Reducing Methane Emissions as a Core Industry Value
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Mark Green
Posted June 28, 2018
When one speaker at the World Gas Conference talked about methane emissions from natural gas as the “elephant in the room” that industry isn’t talking about – I didn’t know what they were talking about! Everywhere at WGC2018, people are talking about reducing methane emissions.
That’s because natural gas and oil companies have been reducing emissions and are focused on continuing that progress in the future. No one is more focused on capturing methane – the key component in natural gas – than companies that sell natural gas.
100 Days: Industry is Committed to Environmental Protection
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Mark Green
Posted April 24, 2017
Methane Regulations Not Based on Science
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Jack Gerard
Posted March 30, 2016
Methane emissions have dropped significantly. Since 2005, emissions from field production of natural gas have dropped 38 percent, and emissions from hydraulically fractured natural gas wells have plunged 79 percent.
These facts bear repeating in light of the Obama administration’s announcement that it is pursuing yet another set of methane regulations. Not only are the additional regulations duplicative and unnecessary, given industry’s success in reducing emissions under current regulations, but the new rules could actually undermine progress.
EPA Should Recognize Market-Driven Climate Progress
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Jack Gerard
Posted January 13, 2016
Absent from EPA’s plans was any acknowledgement that methane and carbon emissions are already down. Recognizing progress we’ve already made – and the market factors contributing to that success – is critical to avoiding costly, duplicative regulations that could undermine that progress, as well as economic growth.
Leading on Reducing Methane Emissions
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Mark Green
Posted July 24, 2015
Some thoughts on EPA’s proposed program to encourage voluntary methane emissions reductions from existing sources. The Methane Challenge Program would expand on the Natural Gas STAR program by recognizing companies that make specific emissions reduction commitments and agree to submit annual data on the progress they’re making.
First, industry supports voluntary. The program could be supportive of what industry already is doing to reduce methane emissions – an effort that is working. EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report issued this spring showed methane emissions from hydraulically fractured natural gas wells are down 79 percent since 2005 – a period in which natural gas production has soared.
Energy and Liberty
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Mark Green
Posted July 2, 2015
A few months ago API President and CEO Jack Gerard explained why America is experiencing an energy revolution:
“We got to this era of energy abundance and global energy leadership because of the entrepreneurial spirit of the private sector, the hard work of the American worker and the unique system of private property and individual rights of the American marketplace.”
Good Energy Policy Key to Energy, Economic Growth
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Mary Schaper
Posted February 13, 2015
More Good News on Methane Emissions – Again
methane emissions natural gas production hydraulic fracturing regulation epa
Mark Green
Posted February 10, 2015
Standout findings in a new major field study on methane emissions from natural gas collection and processing facilities across 13 states, led by Colorado State University include a couple of points:
First, of 130 facilities that collect natural gas from production wells, remove impurities and deliver it to inter- and intrastate pipeline networks, 101 had methane loss rates below 1 percent – including 85 of the 114 gathering facilities and all 16 of the processing plants studied. Put another way, methane containment at these facilities is more than 99 percent.
Second, the majority of emissions resulted from abnormalities involving broken or faulty equipment – issues that are relatively easy to address.