The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has fined Equitrans Midstream Corp. $1.1 million for a storage well that leaked 1 Bcf of natural gas into the atmosphere for more than 10 days in November 2022. In all, 223 tons of carbon dioxide, 27,040 tons of methane and 106 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOC)…
methane
Articles from methane
BLM Finalizes Methane Waste Rule for Federal Onshore Oil, Natural Gas Production
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has finalized a rule designed to curb methane pollution from oil and natural gas production on federal and Tribal lands, in part by collecting royalty payments on flared gas. The Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation rule, which was proposed in…
How Does the EPA Methane Fee Affect Natural Gas and Oil Companies?
Oil and natural gas industry groups expressed disappointment with a long-anticipated proposal published this month by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to place a fee on excess methane emissions from large oil and gas operations. The waste emissions charge (WEC) or methane fee is mandated by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022, President Biden’s…
Experts Stress Natural Gas Infrastructure, Storage, Upstream Needs in Mexico
In 10 months, on Oct. 1, 2024, Mexico’s new president will take office, and the six-year term of Andrés Manuel López Obrador will end. Members of the Mexican energy industry told NGI’s Mexico GPI they are hopeful for a change in energy policies that have at times stalled and frustrated the sector during the past…
Project Canary Taking on ‘Differentiated’ Natural Gas Mantle to Expand Emissions Measurements
Project Canary, which moved the natural gas industry toward the ubiquitous use of “responsibly sourced gas,” or RSG, has expanded its reach to help customers measure and analyze environmental risks and emissions. The RSG moniker made a name for the Denver-based firm, a term that often has been used interchangeably with “differentiated” or “independently certified”…
Mexico’s Pemex Looks to Join Latin American Peers with Decarbonization Strategy
Mexico’s state oil and natural gas giant Petróleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, is working to improve its environmental, social and governance (ESG) scorecard. The company has hired an external consultant to devise a plan focused specifically on reducing emissions. The plan would also assess alternative sources of revenue that could include lower carbon options. Pemex is…
Natural Gas, Oil Operators Able to Draw on Federal Funding to Mitigate Methane Emissions
Federal funding is on tap to alleviate the costs for natural gas and oil producers to reduce and monitor their methane emissions. The energy sector makes up 40% of total methane emissions from human activity, with gas and oil operations responsible for 80 million metric tons of these emissions, according to the International Energy Agency. …
Removing 90% of Unburned Methane in NGVs Possible, New Research Finds
A new study posits that natural gas vehicle (NGV) manufacturers may be able to further reduce emissions compared to gasoline cars, removing as much as 90% of unburned methane from engine exhausts. Researchers at Washington State University (WSU) and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) National Accelerator Laboratory in California recently published their findings after…
Phillips 66 Eyeing Lasers to Point Out Methane Leaks in Natural Gas Infrastructure
Phillips 66 is collaborating with Bridger Photonics Inc. to explore ways to reduce methane leaks in natural gas infrastructure using laser-based technology. The partnership would focus on the midstream giant’s natural gas pipelines in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Houston-based Phillips 66 operates one of the nation’s largest natural gas operations, including its expanded ownership…
Chubb Mandates Natural Gas, Oil Clients Reduce Methane Emissions to Obtain Insurance
Chubb Ltd., the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurer, has updated underwriting criteria for natural gas and extraction projects to require clients to reduce methane emissions. The Swiss-based insurer, which collaborated with stakeholders on the criteria, has most of its business in the United States. “The methane-related underwriting criteria that Chubb has adopted…