Here’s what you need to know about EPA’s landmark methane proposal
2 years 6 months ago
By Edwin LaMair and Grace Smith Last week the Environmental Protection Agency proposed methane standards that will, for the first time, apply to the nation’s nearly one million existing oil and gas wells and other facilities. A critical step that charts a path to major emission cuts. As methane takes the spotlight on the world […]
EDF Blogs
New research shows Boston methane emissions continue, despite pipe replacement efforts
2 years 6 months ago
New peer-reviewed research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that methane emissions from natural gas infrastructure and buildings in the Boston area have remained consistently high over the last eight years, despite multiple programs aimed at reducing methane pipeline leakage. This study indicates that more action is needed […]
Erin Murphy
Climate planning is key for New York’s gas infrastructure
2 years 6 months ago
Next month, the New York Public Service Commission will be deciding whether a rate case settlement proposal between National Grid’s upstate gas and electric utility (Niagara Mohawk) and other groups is in the public interest, and whether the proposal is consistent with New York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. This is the first major […]
Erin Murphy
FERC, not the Supreme Court, is the right place to fix the Spire pipeline mess
2 years 7 months ago
After the D.C. Circuit court vacated Spire STL’s unlawful certificate to operate a 66-mile natural gas pipeline running between Illinois and Missouri in June, Spire last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the vacatur decision and hand the company back its permission slip. Not only should the Supreme Court not grant the stay, […]
Natalie Karas
Overwhelming public support paves way for stronger oil and gas pollution rules in New Mexico
2 years 7 months ago
Over the past two weeks the New Mexico Environmental Improvement Board heard from a variety of New Mexicans as they considered newly proposed rules to limit oil and gas air pollution in New Mexico. What was striking over the 10 long days of testimony is just how broad and deep the support for a suite […]
Jon Goldstein
New IPCC report zeroes in on urgency of reducing methane
2 years 9 months ago
The new report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is the direst warning yet that we must rapidly and drastically slash climate emissions around the world and that reducing methane emissions is mission critical. Though the report includes some important opportunities, it’s a very sober read. Let’s get some of the central […]
Ilissa Ocko
Funding to plug and remediate orphan wells moves forward in the Senate
2 years 9 months ago
The bipartisan infrastructure bill currently under debate in Washington includes a new, $4.7 billion program to address a significant environmental legacy of the fossil fuel industry — the plugging and remediating of orphan oil and gas wells. Orphan wells have no owner, so the cleanup liability falls largely to the public. Nearly 60,000 such wells […]
Adam Peltz
With oil and gas pollution rules restored, what’s next for EPA on methane?
2 years 9 months ago
Last month, President Biden signed into law S.J. Res. 14, a Congressional Review Act resolution restoring methane pollution standards for the oil and gas sector by repealing Trump-era rollbacks. With bipartisan backing, Congress passed the measure and rejected the Trump administration’s dangerous weakening of methane protections and its unlawful attempt to prevent the Environmental Protection […]
Rosalie Winn
Federal pipeline agency has essential opportunity to reduce methane emissions
2 years 10 months ago
By Erin Murphy and Elgie Holstein The Biden administration recently directed gas pipeline companies to explain how they will minimize emissions of methane, which is both a potent greenhouse pollutant and the primary component of natural gas. This is the first step in implementing the PIPES Act of 2020, which Congress passed last year detailing […]
EDF Blogs
What new Permian research means for U.S. methane policy
2 years 11 months ago
By Dan Grossman and Ben Hmiel Newly released research is shedding more light on the largest sources of methane emissions in the nation’s largest oilfield. Methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas and has a huge impact on the current rate of global warming. The oil and gas industry is one of the biggest emitters. […]
EDF Blogs
Methane controls mean cleaner air on the Navajo Nation
2 years 11 months ago
By Megan Kelly and Jon Goldstein Policy action at both the tribal and federal levels this spring is creating promising momentum for cutting down on methane pollution on the Navajo Nation and across the Colorado Plateau, a step in the right direction for tackling climate change. Reducing methane waste would also improve public health and […]
EDF Blogs
Texas forms new group to weigh pros, cons of repurposing oilfield wastewater
2 years 11 months ago
Some Texas leaders and oil and gas industry advocates have for years promoted the idea that produced water — the wastewater generated through oil and gas development — has a role to play in meeting broad water needs in our state. However, the state has a limited understanding of the chemicals in this wastewater and […]
Nichole Saunders
4 opportunities for gas utilities to accelerate the energy transition today
2 years 11 months ago
A troubling story recently emerged about a group of gas utilities whose mission is to fight electrification. While the leaked materials alone don’t explain the full extent of the group’s efforts, it was unsettling to see baseless, fear-driven tactics such as “take advantage of power outage fear,” to make people wary of electrification. Instead of […]
Natalie Karas
Maximizing the historic job creation opportunity waiting in our nation’s old and leaking oil and gas wells
3 years ago
After over 150 years of boom and bust oil and gas development, there are over a million inactive, unplugged oil and gas wells across the country. A new study published in the journal Elementa describes how, when not properly plugged, these wells can contaminate groundwater and emit methane as well as harmful chemicals into the […]
Adam Peltz
New innovative tool empowers utilities to reduce emissions in investment planning
3 years ago
By Erin Murphy and Christie Hicks As the United States moves toward decarbonization, cities and states must use all means available to reduce climate pollution, and natural gas utilities should be at the forefront of this rapid energy transition. Gas utilities are the subject of increasing scrutiny because plans to expand and fortify their infrastructure […]
EDF Blogs
Fossil fuel industry failed Texans during the freeze, now it’s using the crisis to attack renewables
3 years ago
February’s energy crisis did something no Texas politician has done in decades: It brought Texans together to demand our leaders in Austin fix the flawed energy system that failed so miserably, caused nearly $300 billion in damage and killed more than 200 Texans. Unfortunately, fossil fuel interests and their willing allies in the Texas Legislature […]
Colin Leyden
Cutting methane emissions from natural gas gives EU global climate leverage
3 years 1 month ago
Policymakers around the world increasingly recognize that along with carbon dioxide, cutting emissions of methane is critical for reaching the temperature goal of the Paris Agreement. Methane is a key element in the reinvigorated U.S. climate strategy and — for the first time — discussed in China’s latest five-year plan. Now the EU has a […]
Kristina Mohlin
Annular pressure monitoring and testing makes for safer wells
3 years 1 month ago
There are nearly a million active oil and gas wells in the United States, and if not correctly designed and maintained, they can leak harmful substances that will irreversibly pollute our land, air and water. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looked at data from over 100,000 wells […]
Adam Peltz
What does it really mean for a gas utility to go net-zero?
3 years 1 month ago
SoCalGas – the nation’s largest gas utility recently pledged to go net-zero on their greenhouse gas emissions. At face value, this is a great move, but what does this really mean for a gas-only company that has had some major climate missteps in the past? And what are the implications for current and future SoCalGas […]
Michael Colvin
Curbing methane emissions is a climate opportunity for national oil companies
3 years 1 month ago
By Ratnika Prasad The energy transition is accelerating, as social, political and economic pressures build on political and corporate leaders to meet the Paris goal of limiting global temperature rise to well below two degrees Celsius. While carbon dioxide is often the focus, at least a quarter of today’s warming is caused by methane emissions […]
EDF Blogs
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