20 Oil And Gas Firms Emit Half Of Industry Methane — Report. According To Politico, “Twenty oil and gas producers were responsible for half of the industry's methane emissions in the United States in 2021, according to a new analysis of data reported to EPA. The report from sustainability consultancy ERM examined 309 oil and gas companies, finding that some are making strides in cutting methane emissions while others continue to emit at high levels. The analysis — prepared for the nonprofits Ceres and the Clean Air Task Force — labeled Hilcorp Energy Co. the largest methane emitter in the industry for the third consecutive year. Hilcorp — which calls itself ‘a leader in taking on legacy oil and gas assets’ — was followed by Exxon Mobil Corp., Caerus Oil and Gas LLC, ConocoPhillips and Diversified Energy Co. PLC as the biggest dischargers of methane.” [Politico, 5/23/23 (=)]
Intensity Of Methane Emissions By US Oil And Gas Industry Declined: Report. According to Bloomberg, “The intensity of methane emissions from oil and gas production fell 28% between 2019 and 2021 among the industry’s 100 biggest emitters. Greenhouse gas emissions intensity — which includes carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane — dropped 30%, according to an analysis of public data published today by the nonprofits Clean Air Task Force and Ceres, and ERM Group Inc. The organizations’ goal in pursuing the study, the third annual version, is to make it easier to compare greenhouse gas emission data that regulated companies submit annually to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The oil and gas industry’s CO2 emissions mostly come from burning fossil fuels during the production process or flaring methane, which converts methane to carbon dioxide. Methane is 81 times more powerful than CO2 in the medium term (20 years).” [Bloomberg, 5/23/23 (=)]
Methane Hunters Tap New Technology To Reshape Policing Of US Greenhouse Emissions. According to Reuters, “Charlie Barrett walks through an oilfield in New Mexico's southeastern desert, where the air smells of rotten eggs and old pumpjacks sit among shrub oaks, and turns on an infrared camera that can detect emissions from oil and gas equipment. Barrett, who works for environmental group Earthworks, is hunting for methane - a greenhouse gas accounting for about a third of global warming that has become a focus for the oil industry's and the Biden administration's climate agenda.” [Reuters, 5/23/23 (=)]
Carper Says He Will Retire, Vacating Seat In Solidly Democratic Delaware. According to New York Times, “Senator Thomas R. Carper, a veteran Democrat from Delaware, announced on Monday that he would not seek re-election next year, opening up a seat in a deep-blue state that he said he hoped would go to his handpicked successor. Mr. Carper, 76, is in his fourth term in the Senate and is the last surviving Vietnam veteran to serve there. He has held public office since the 1970s, first as Delaware’s treasurer, then for a decade as a congressman, then as governor and, since 2001, as a senator… In a separate statement, Mr. Schumer praised Mr. Carper as a ‘conscientious, hardworking, honorable and effective senator who has done so much for his beloved Delaware and America, particularly in protecting our precious environment and strengthening our transportation systems.’ Mr. Schumer credited Mr. Carper for spearheading important legislation such as postal reform and reducing the effects of methane in the atmosphere.” [New York Times, 5/22/23 (=)]
White House Begins Reviewing EPA Rule Implementing IRA Methane Fee. According to Inside EPA, “The White House regulatory office is reviewing EPA’s draft proposal for implementing the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) oil and gas methane fee, a package also expected to start discussion of proposed updates to related reporting rules to enable more accurate calculation of the sector’s methane emissions. The move signals continuing EPA efforts to advance methane controls, with officials separately preparing to finalize tougher methane emissions standards for both new and existing oil and gas facilities. Stakeholders have been grappling with precisely which facilities will be subject to the IRA methane fee over time, with the statute requiring the fee to take effect starting in 2024 while also providing for an exemption for facilities once they are covered by EPA’s upcoming emissions standards.” [Inside EPA, 5/22/23 (=)]