U.S. oil and natural gas trade groups are calling foul on a proposal by federal officials to collect royalties on gas that is vented or flared. The proposal, first announced in November, would replace what the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) called an “outdated” and “ill-suited” ruling that came about before the boom of unconventional…
methane
Articles from methane

OGCI Members’ Upstream Methane Intensity Down, Investments in Low Carbon Up
The Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), a collaboration by the CEOs of a dozen global energy producers, said it has reduced members’ absolute upstream methane emissions by 40% since 2017 with spending on low carbon solutions nearly doubling to $40 billion.The collaborative launched an industry-wide initiative to reduce methane emissions to near zero, while…

Permian-Focused Laredo Petroleum Rebranding as Vital Energy Amid ESG Emphasis
Tulsa, OK-based independent Laredo Petroleum Inc. is set to rebrand as Vital Energy Inc. on Jan. 9, management said. The name change is consistent with the company’s goal “to ensure everyone has access to the reliable, affordable energy resources needed to power their lives,” according to the firm. The rebrand “reflects our mission and collective…

Equitrans Stops Major Natural Gas Leak at Pennsylvania Storage Facility
Equitrans Midstream Corp. said late Thursday it has flooded a natural gas storage well that had leaked for more than 10 days, releasing over 1 Bcf into the atmosphere, according to preliminary estimates. Spokesperson Natalie Cox told NGI the leak was discovered on Nov. 6. The company worked through a series of setbacks with Texas-based…

CNX Looking to Capture Methane from Appalachia Operations for Biodegradable Plastic
Appalachian pure-play CNX Resources Corp. has signed a 15-year deal with a California-based technology company to capture methane to manufacture a biodegradable polymer. CNX, which develops unconventional natural gas and coalbed methane assets throughout the Appalachian Basin, would capture the methane from coal mines and other third-party industrial operations for Newlight Technologies Inc. Newlight has…

Natural Gas Coalition’s Methane Reporting Gains Independent Thumb’s Up
A coalition of some of the nation’s largest natural gas producers has received independent validation for its methane intensity program. Our Nation’s Energy Future, better known as ONE Future, consists of companies that work in 16 of the nation’s 38 production basins. Collectively, ONE Future members account for 19% of U.S. natural gas production, 56%…

Chevron’s Goal to Market Certified Natural Gas from Lower 48 Moving Closer
Chevron Corp.’s upstream assets in Colorado and Texas have clinched the highest ratings for operational and environmental performance, with its plans to market certified natural gas by year’s end gaining momentum. Denver-based assessment company Project Canary conducted the independent certified analysis, with 82 wells achieving “Platinum” status and three earning “Gold.” Chevron and Project Canary…

Mexico’s Pemex to Invest $2B to Reduce Methane Pollution Amid Growing Concern Over Emissions
Mexico’s state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) plans to invest $2 billion to reduce upstream methane emissions by up to 98%, Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Friday. The investment is one of 10 actions Mexico is undertaking to fight climate change, the president said in a video address to the Major Economies Forum…

Mexico’s AMLO Pledges $2B to Curb Pemex Methane Leaks as ESG Concerns Mount
Mexico’s state oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) plans to invest $2 billion to reduce upstream methane emissions by up to 98%, Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Friday. The investment is one of 10 actions Mexico is undertaking to fight climate change, the president said in a video address to the Major Economies Forum…

Lower 48 Marginal Oil, Natural Gas Wells Seen Comprising Half of Well Methane Emissions
A report published by researchers at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) found that low-producing oil and gas wells are a major contributor to methane emissions from well sites in the Lower 48. The study, published in the Nature Communications journal, found that while these wells produce less than 15 boe/d, they account for about 50%…