Happy Tuesday!
We love a follow-up! We spoke in our Blog about the upcoming implementation
of the Methane Rules and about the impending Methane Emission Fees. We blogged about the new tools being used for
example MiQ-Highwood
Index™,
and MethaneSat, the satellite which was sent up earlier this month. Looks like the EPA, the public, and the
environmentalists have brought their A game and now looks like the oil and gas
industry sees the writing and is changing the way they handle methane and other
emissions.
Did anyone
happen to read The Houston Chronicle’s Business Section on March 25, 2024,
their article titled, “’Methane police’ on patrol as scrutiny ramps up”? The article was how flyovers by satellites, EPA
hired airplanes, and other data collection tools are taking notice of the
methane leaks and are reporting them, and the industry is cleaning itself up in
response. The methane police are here, and
they may be overhead weekly or more often reporting what they see to the U. S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). The company has
the burden of proof of proving when the release began and if they don’t have
documentation to prove otherwise it is assumed the leak began 182 days before,
and once the methane fee begins later this year or early 2025 this could mean
millions of dollars to the company for a single well violation. The oil and gas industry in response has been
hiring their own monitoring police in regard to airplane and satellite flyovers
or buying infrared cameras to help them find leaks and getting their equipment
in top condition or replacing it with more modern equipment. The companies are going over their equipment like
compressors, tanks, flaring equipment, and ectara with a fine-tooth comb
looking for leaks in their systems and fixing or replacing now before they’re
reported, and the methane fees initiate. In
the past, companies reported methane emissions themselves to the EPA, and data
collection tools were not very accurate which made the estimate of emissions
based on equipment type and amount of oil or gas they produced. It has been found this way of figuring
emissions has strongly led to underestimating the amount of methane released
according to the International Energy Agency. The upcoming new
world order old and new wells will be scrutinized for methane leaks by the EPA’s
now being developed rules and enforced by state environmental officials which
will go into effect in the coming years.
Investors of oil and gas companies have made climate change a priority
and the industry has heard them and are investing in improvements as well as
better leak detection. The new equipment
for monitoring for example sensors and cameras still is imperfect in collecting
data, if weather isn’t ideal or it is windy, so in the near future infrared cameras
used by a person is still the best way to track what’s going on. As the industry moves forward technology
should improve the accuracy of data it collects as well as improvements in
equipment, and this will help climate change and our strive for net-zero. If you would like to read more of The
Houston Chronicle’s article, please click the link: Oil companies ramp up monitoring as methane emission fees loom(houstonchronicle.com).
If you would
like to see the EPA’s new Methane Rules for Oil and Gas, please click the link:
EPA's Final Rule for Oil and Natural Gas Operations Will Sharply Reduce Methane and Other Harmful Pollution. | US EPA.
If you would
like information about the technical and financial help offered by the Methane Emissions
Reduction Program, please click the link: Financial and Technical Assistance from the Methane Emissions Reduction Program | US EPA.
If you would like to see some suggested equipment from the
EPA to reduce emissions, please click the link: Methane Mitigation Technologies Platform | US EPA.
If you would
like help in looking into how to reduce your methane emissions with emission
controls and help with adopting best practices, contact us via email in the
blog and check out our ESC's website!
We hope you have a wonderful evening!
**Disclaimer: You may be charged a fee to read The
Houston Chronicle’s article. **