methane

Nearly 130 business and labor groups led by the American Petroleum Institute (API) are urging Congress to oppose a proposed tax on oil and gas methane emissions and instead push for direct federal regulation. Senate Democrats are considering the Methane Emissions Reduction Act of 2021 for inclusion in their $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill.  Introduced…

The nascent carbon-neutral liquefied natural gas (LNG) market is set to gain momentum this year as global buyers are increasingly concerned about their emissions footprints. The market is on track to quadruple this year, according to a recent report from FTI Consulting. The firm has tracked six carbon-neutral cargoes through April, compared to only five…

The House on Friday voted to restore Obama-era controls on methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector that had been partially rescinded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Trump administration. The measure passed by a margin of 229-191 under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) after 52-42 passage by the Senate, and…

Abandoned and unplugged oil and gas wells in Wyoming may be responsible for no more than 1% of reported methane emissions from the state’s oil and gas operations, according to research by the University of Wyoming’s (UW) Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute (EORI).  A sample of 10 orphan wells surveyed in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin by…

New measurements released last week by Kayrros quantifying emissions across the Appalachian Basin show the region is the biggest source of methane in the United States. Kayrros, which uses satellites and other methods to track emissions, said methane from Appalachia exceeds even the country’s most active oil and gas fields in the Permian Basin. But…

As the oil and natural industry pivots toward producing cleaner energy and controlling emissions, an analysis by a Texas association of independent producers and royalty owners found that methane intensity in the Permian Basin has declined from 2011-2019 even as production surged to record levels. Conducted by Texans for Natural Gas, a project of the…

Natural gas flaring from the Texas portion of the Permian Basin is likely to increase in the coming years but the industry may be able to eliminate most of the routine emissions at little cost, according to a new analysis. The Rystad Energy analysis, commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund, found that the flaring is…

State-owned Qatar Petroleum (QP), the world’s leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter, has unveiled an ambitious plan to cut emissions and drastically reduce the environmental footprint of its fossil fuel operations.  The company said its “sustainability strategy” establishes targets to align with the goals of the United Nations climate accord, aka the Paris agreement, drafted…

Methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector fell by an estimated 10% in 2020, mainly because of production curtailments in response to the Covid-19 crisis, according to the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Methane Tracker 2021 report published Monday. Oil and gas operations emitted more than 70 million tons of methane into the atmosphere…