When it comes to the history and DNA of a city, new buildings have nothing on century-old ones. Yet the reverse can be said in regard to water and energy efficiency. Older buildings reflect the culture and history of a community, but typically are highly inefficient. Such was the case with the Butler Brothers Building in […]

By Kate Zerrenner

When it comes to the history and DNA of a city, new buildings have nothing on century-old ones. Yet the reverse can be said in regard to water and energy efficiency. Older buildings reflect the culture and history of a community, but typically are highly inefficient.

Such was the case with the Butler Brothers Building in Dallas, a previously-abandoned 1910 structure that was often referred to as an eyesore. So when the real estate developer Alterra International decided to turn the building into a mixed-use complex with apartments, hotel rooms, and retail space, a lot of work was needed to improve its water and energy efficiency – work that required up-front capital investments.

Through the Texas PACE Authority’s “PACE in a Box” model, Alterra International was able to secure $23.9 million in PACE financing for upgrades that will slash carbon pollution, cutting energy use by about 40 percent and annual water use by almost 700,000 gallons.

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a financing model that helps local governments and the private sector back energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades for homes and businesses. Texas is the only state that includes water in its PACE programs and could serve as a model for other water-strapped states.

PACE in Texas

Fortunately for the Butler Brothers project, Dallas is one of the many local communities that has embraced Texas’ PACE program. According to the Texas PACE Authority, PACE is:

“An innovative financing program – completely free of government mandates and public funding – that enables non-profit, commercial, industrial, multi-family, and agricultural property owners to obtain up to 100 percent of the project financing from low-cost, long-term loans for water conservation, energy efficiency, and onsite generation projects.”

Historic buildings or energy efficiency? Texas gets both, with innovative financing.
Click To Tweet

Enacted in June 2013 with bipartisan support, PACE has gained steam in Texas in recent years: Many cities and counties, including the City of Dallas, City of Houston, and El Paso County, have authorized use of the clean energy finance tool. Most recently, the City of Amarillo approved Texas’ 15th PACE program – the first in the panhandle region.

As a result, exciting projects are getting off the ground to lower energy and water waste. For example, last year three Simon Property Group malls secured over $3 million in PACE financing for energy and water-saving retrofits. And Austin’s Congregation Beth Israel was able to use PACE to alleviate its skyrocketing energy bills by improving its insulation.

Texas’ largest PACE project

The nearly $24 million in financing for Dallas’ Butler Brothers Building covered improvements to HVAC, lighting, insulation, roofing, glazing, exterior waterproofing and plaster, plumbing fixtures, and irrigation systems, making it the largest PACE project in the Lone Star State. Furthermore,

“This project will contribute to the creation of over 100 jobs in the Dallas area, reduce annual electricity use by more than 6.6 million kilowatt hours, remove over 3.500 metric tons of CO2e each year, and save almost 700,000 gallons of water per year.”

An open-market approach, Texas’ PACE program is already shaping up to be a model for other states and communities around the country. Hopefully the Dallas project will show that, through the use of this innovative finance tool, century-old buildings across the state can have both history and efficiency.

Photo source: Alterra International

By Kate Zerrenner

When it comes to the history and DNA of a city, new buildings have nothing on century-old ones. Yet the reverse can be said in regard to water and energy efficiency. Older buildings reflect the culture and history of a community, but typically are highly inefficient.

Such was the case with the Butler Brothers Building in Dallas, a previously-abandoned 1910 structure that was often referred to as an eyesore. So when the real estate developer Alterra International decided to turn the building into a mixed-use complex with apartments, hotel rooms, and retail space, a lot of work was needed to improve its water and energy efficiency – work that required up-front capital investments.

Through the Texas PACE Authority’s “PACE in a Box” model, Alterra International was able to secure $23.9 million in PACE financing for upgrades that will slash carbon pollution, cutting energy use by about 40 percent and annual water use by almost 700,000 gallons.

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a financing model that helps local governments and the private sector back energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades for homes and businesses. Texas is the only state that includes water in its PACE programs and could serve as a model for other water-strapped states.

PACE in Texas

Fortunately for the Butler Brothers project, Dallas is one of the many local communities that has embraced Texas’ PACE program. According to the Texas PACE Authority, PACE is:

“An innovative financing program – completely free of government mandates and public funding – that enables non-profit, commercial, industrial, multi-family, and agricultural property owners to obtain up to 100 percent of the project financing from low-cost, long-term loans for water conservation, energy efficiency, and onsite generation projects.”

Historic buildings or energy efficiency? Texas gets both, with innovative financing.
Click To Tweet

Enacted in June 2013 with bipartisan support, PACE has gained steam in Texas in recent years: Many cities and counties, including the City of Dallas, City of Houston, and El Paso County, have authorized use of the clean energy finance tool. Most recently, the City of Amarillo approved Texas’ 15th PACE program – the first in the panhandle region.

As a result, exciting projects are getting off the ground to lower energy and water waste. For example, last year three Simon Property Group malls secured over $3 million in PACE financing for energy and water-saving retrofits. And Austin’s Congregation Beth Israel was able to use PACE to alleviate its skyrocketing energy bills by improving its insulation.

Texas’ largest PACE project

The nearly $24 million in financing for Dallas’ Butler Brothers Building covered improvements to HVAC, lighting, insulation, roofing, glazing, exterior waterproofing and plaster, plumbing fixtures, and irrigation systems, making it the largest PACE project in the Lone Star State. Furthermore,

“This project will contribute to the creation of over 100 jobs in the Dallas area, reduce annual electricity use by more than 6.6 million kilowatt hours, remove over 3.500 metric tons of CO2e each year, and save almost 700,000 gallons of water per year.”

An open-market approach, Texas’ PACE program is already shaping up to be a model for other states and communities around the country. Hopefully the Dallas project will show that, through the use of this innovative finance tool, century-old buildings across the state can have both history and efficiency.

Photo source: Alterra International

When it comes to the history and DNA of a city, new buildings have nothing on century-old ones. Yet the reverse can be said in regard to water and energy efficiency. Older buildings reflect the culture and history of a community, but typically are highly inefficient. Such was the case with the Butler Brothers Building […]

By Kate Zerrenner

When it comes to the history and DNA of a city, new buildings have nothing on century-old ones. Yet the reverse can be said in regard to water and energy efficiency. Older buildings reflect the culture and history of a community, but typically are highly inefficient.

Such was the case with the Butler Brothers Building in Dallas, a previously-abandoned 1910 structure that was often referred to as an eyesore. So when the real estate developer Alterra International decided to turn the building into a mixed-use complex with apartments, hotel rooms, and retail space, a lot of work was needed to improve its water and energy efficiency – work that required up-front capital investments.

Through the Texas PACE Authority’s “PACE in a Box” model, Alterra International was able to secure $23.9 million in PACE financing for upgrades that will slash carbon pollution, cutting energy use by about 40 percent and annual water use by almost 700,000 gallons.

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) is a financing model that helps local governments and the private sector back energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades for homes and businesses. Texas is the only state that includes water in its PACE programs and could serve as a model for other water-strapped states.

PACE in Texas

Fortunately for the Butler Brothers project, Dallas is one of the many local communities that has embraced Texas’ PACE program. According to the Texas PACE Authority, PACE is:

“An innovative financing program – completely free of government mandates and public funding – that enables non-profit, commercial, industrial, multi-family, and agricultural property owners to obtain up to 100 percent of the project financing from low-cost, long-term loans for water conservation, energy efficiency, and onsite generation projects.”

Historic buildings or energy efficiency? Texas gets both, with innovative financing.
Click To Tweet

Enacted in June 2013 with bipartisan support, PACE has gained steam in Texas in recent years: Many cities and counties, including the City of Dallas, City of Houston, and El Paso County, have authorized use of the clean energy finance tool. Most recently, the City of Amarillo approved Texas’ 15th PACE program – the first in the panhandle region.

As a result, exciting projects are getting off the ground to lower energy and water waste. For example, last year three Simon Property Group malls secured over $3 million in PACE financing for energy and water-saving retrofits. And Austin’s Congregation Beth Israel was able to use PACE to alleviate its skyrocketing energy bills by improving its insulation.

Texas’ largest PACE project

The nearly $24 million in financing for Dallas’ Butler Brothers Building covered improvements to HVAC, lighting, insulation, roofing, glazing, exterior waterproofing and plaster, plumbing fixtures, and irrigation systems, making it the largest PACE project in the Lone Star State. Furthermore,

“This project will contribute to the creation of over 100 jobs in the Dallas area, reduce annual electricity use by more than 6.6 million kilowatt hours, remove over 3.500 metric tons of CO2e each year, and save almost 700,000 gallons of water per year.”

An open-market approach, Texas’ PACE program is already shaping up to be a model for other states and communities around the country. Hopefully the Dallas project will show that, through the use of this innovative finance tool, century-old buildings across the state can have both history and efficiency.

Photo source: Alterra International

By Tim O'Connor

Last week the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Energy Commission (CEC) released interim results from a NASA study that offers the most clear-eyed assessment yet of California’s largest individual sources of methane pollution.

Methane – a potent greenhouse gas responsible for about a quarter of global warming – is emitted from several different sources, including refineries, landfills, dairy farms, and oil and gas facilities. This new study identifies 329 of the largest pollution sources and offers insights to policy makers about opportunities for reducing these emissions.

Here are four key takeaways from the latest research.

California must focus on super emitters to cut pollution

Previous studies in other regions have shown that when it comes to methane, a small set of high-emitting sites, known as “super emitters” tend to be responsible for a significant amount of total emissions. The new CARB study suggests the same is likely occurring in California (measurements of actual amounts of the methane will be released in the second phase of the project next year).  Many times these super emitters occur randomly, such as when a major piece of equipment breaks and releases a large amount of pollution. Other times, as this study shows, these sites can be landfills, dairy farms, and refineries that simply release a lot of pollution. 

Although the new study didn’t find any methane releases that approach the magnitude of the Aliso Canyon gas leak, it did find that in California, just 10% of sites may be responsible for 60% of the methane released from individual sources. These findings give regulators a new opportunity to design emission-reduction programs and to evaluate how effective existing programs are at cutting pollution.

Advanced technologies make emissions data more precise and actionable

As the study demonstrates, new technology allows California policymakers to know where the major sources of methane pollution are. While the study used cutting edge remote-sensing technology mounted to an airplane to capture ultra-high resolution data, the results support the findings of numerous studies that show how other technology outfitted on cars and trucks, satellites, and observations made by stationary monitors, provide data that policy makers, companies and communities to act upon.

California is already acting on these technical advancements. An earlier NASA study in 2014, which used satellite observations to find a large hot spot in the Central Valley, led the California legislature to pass bills like AB 1496 to identify the sources and locations of the state’s methane hot spots, and SB 1383 to develop strategies to cut the pollution. More recently, the legislature passed AB 617 that requires the development of local air quality improvement plans based in large part on advanced monitoring data.

Landfills and Agriculture: an opportunity for driving bigger methane reductions in California

Across the U.S., the oil and gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane pollution. In California though, thanks in part to longstanding rules to curb oil and gas leaks and venting, oil and gas isn’t responsible for the majority of emissions. Rather, as the study verifies, animal waste and landfills are responsible for much of the state’s methane emissions and need to be addressed.

Hot spots could impact public health

High quality pollution data is a key part of demonstrating the link between individual sources of that pollution and impacts on local communities. For example, in September of this year, CARB stated that storage tanks and wellheads are responsible for the largest portion of oil and gas methane plumes. When coupled with a 2016 CARB study, which found a majority of leaks from oil and gas sites contain cancer causing compounds and developmental toxins, it’s clear that solutions to stop these sources must be fast-tracked in order to protect public health.

Additionally, the study suggests that refineries release significant amounts of methane. The US EPA toxic release inventory emissions reports show they also emit an array of toxic air contaminants, indicating a renewed focus is needed to cut refinery pollution to protect the communities living near these facilities.

Real-time pollution monitoring technology provides an opportunity to reduce emissions and protect communities. Cost-effective technology can be installed at facilities across the state – enabling companies, regulators and communities to pinpoint potential hot spots before they even start. CARB recently proposed installing these at refineries, and requires them at natural gas storage sites, but applying them to oil and gas production facilities can make a significant impact toward minimizing hot spots across California, improve air quality and protect public health.

Methane hot spots may be prevalent across California now, but with the right tools, technologies and environmental protections in place, we can work collaboratively to make them a thing of the past.

Both images courtesy of California Air Resources Board.

By Tim O'Connor

Last week the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Energy Commission (CEC) released interim results from a NASA study that offers the most clear-eyed assessment yet of California’s largest individual sources of methane pollution.

Methane – a potent greenhouse gas responsible for about a quarter of global warming – is emitted from several different sources, including refineries, landfills, dairy farms, and oil and gas facilities. This new study identifies 329 of the largest pollution sources and offers insights to policy makers about opportunities for reducing these emissions.

Here are four key takeaways from the latest research.

California must focus on super emitters to cut pollution

Previous studies in other regions have shown that when it comes to methane, a small set of high-emitting sites, known as “super emitters” tend to be responsible for a significant amount of total emissions. The new CARB study suggests the same is likely occurring in California (measurements of actual amounts of the methane will be released in the second phase of the project next year).  Many times these super emitters occur randomly, such as when a major piece of equipment breaks and releases a large amount of pollution. Other times, as this study shows, these sites can be landfills, dairy farms, and refineries that simply release a lot of pollution. 

Although the new study didn’t find any methane releases that approach the magnitude of the Aliso Canyon gas leak, it did find that in California, just 10% of sites may be responsible for 60% of the methane released from individual sources. These findings give regulators a new opportunity to design emission-reduction programs and to evaluate how effective existing programs are at cutting pollution.

Advanced technologies make emissions data more precise and actionable

As the study demonstrates, new technology allows California policymakers to know where the major sources of methane pollution are. While the study used cutting edge remote-sensing technology mounted to an airplane to capture ultra-high resolution data, the results support the findings of numerous studies that show how other technology outfitted on cars and trucks, satellites, and observations made by stationary monitors, provide data that policy makers, companies and communities to act upon.

California is already acting on these technical advancements. An earlier NASA study in 2014, which used satellite observations to find a large hot spot in the Central Valley, led the California legislature to pass bills like AB 1496 to identify the sources and locations of the state’s methane hot spots, and SB 1383 to develop strategies to cut the pollution. More recently, the legislature passed AB 617 that requires the development of local air quality improvement plans based in large part on advanced monitoring data.

Landfills and Agriculture: an opportunity for driving bigger methane reductions in California

Across the U.S., the oil and gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane pollution. In California though, thanks in part to longstanding rules to curb oil and gas leaks and venting, oil and gas isn’t responsible for the majority of emissions. Rather, as the study verifies, animal waste and landfills are responsible for much of the state’s methane emissions and need to be addressed.

Hot spots could impact public health

High quality pollution data is a key part of demonstrating the link between individual sources of that pollution and impacts on local communities. For example, in September of this year, CARB stated that storage tanks and wellheads are responsible for the largest portion of oil and gas methane plumes. When coupled with a 2016 CARB study, which found a majority of leaks from oil and gas sites contain cancer causing compounds and developmental toxins, it’s clear that solutions to stop these sources must be fast-tracked in order to protect public health.

Additionally, the study suggests that refineries release significant amounts of methane. The US EPA toxic release inventory emissions reports show they also emit an array of toxic air contaminants, indicating a renewed focus is needed to cut refinery pollution to protect the communities living near these facilities.

Real-time pollution monitoring technology provides an opportunity to reduce emissions and protect communities. Cost-effective technology can be installed at facilities across the state – enabling companies, regulators and communities to pinpoint potential hot spots before they even start. CARB recently proposed installing these at refineries, and requires them at natural gas storage sites, but applying them to oil and gas production facilities can make a significant impact toward minimizing hot spots across California, improve air quality and protect public health.

Methane hot spots may be prevalent across California now, but with the right tools, technologies and environmental protections in place, we can work collaboratively to make them a thing of the past.

Both images courtesy of California Air Resources Board.

Last week the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Energy Commission (CEC) released interim results from a NASA study that offers the most clear-eyed assessment yet of California’s largest individual sources of methane pollution. Methane – a potent greenhouse gas responsible for about a quarter of global warming – is emitted from several different […]

Last week the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Energy Commission (CEC) released interim results from a NASA study that offers the most clear-eyed assessment yet of California’s largest individual sources of methane pollution. Methane – a potent greenhouse gas responsible for about a quarter of global warming – is emitted from several different […]

By Tim O'Connor

Last week the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and California Energy Commission (CEC) released interim results from a NASA study that offers the most clear-eyed assessment yet of California’s largest individual sources of methane pollution.

Methane – a potent greenhouse gas responsible for about a quarter of global warming – is emitted from several different sources, including refineries, landfills, dairy farms, and oil and gas facilities. This new study identifies 329 of the largest pollution sources and offers insights to policy makers about opportunities for reducing these emissions.

Here are four key takeaways from the latest research.

California must focus on super emitters to cut pollution

Previous studies in other regions have shown that when it comes to methane, a small set of high-emitting sites, known as “super emitters” tend to be responsible for a significant amount of total emissions. The new CARB study suggests the same is likely occurring in California (measurements of actual amounts of the methane will be released in the second phase of the project next year).  Many times these super emitters occur randomly, such as when a major piece of equipment breaks and releases a large amount of pollution. Other times, as this study shows, these sites can be landfills, dairy farms, and refineries that simply release a lot of pollution. 

Although the new study didn’t find any methane releases that approach the magnitude of the Aliso Canyon gas leak, it did find that in California, just 10% of sites may be responsible for 60% of the methane released from individual sources. These findings give regulators a new opportunity to design emission-reduction programs and to evaluate how effective existing programs are at cutting pollution.

Advanced technologies make emissions data more precise and actionable

As the study demonstrates, new technology allows California policymakers to know where the major sources of methane pollution are. While the study used cutting edge remote-sensing technology mounted to an airplane to capture ultra-high resolution data, the results support the findings of numerous studies that show how other technology outfitted on cars and trucks, satellites, and observations made by stationary monitors, provide data that policy makers, companies and communities to act upon.

California is already acting on these technical advancements. An earlier NASA study in 2014, which used satellite observations to find a large hot spot in the Central Valley, led the California legislature to pass bills like AB 1496 to identify the sources and locations of the state’s methane hot spots, and SB 1383 to develop strategies to cut the pollution. More recently, the legislature passed AB 617 that requires the development of local air quality improvement plans based in large part on advanced monitoring data.

Landfills and Agriculture: an opportunity for driving bigger methane reductions in California

Across the U.S., the oil and gas sector is the largest industrial source of methane pollution. In California though, thanks in part to longstanding rules to curb oil and gas leaks and venting, oil and gas isn’t responsible for the majority of emissions. Rather, as the study verifies, animal waste and landfills are responsible for much of the state’s methane emissions and need to be addressed.

Hot spots could impact public health

High quality pollution data is a key part of demonstrating the link between individual sources of that pollution and impacts on local communities. For example, in September of this year, CARB stated that storage tanks and wellheads are responsible for the largest portion of oil and gas methane plumes. When coupled with a 2016 CARB study, which found a majority of leaks from oil and gas sites contain cancer causing compounds and developmental toxins, it’s clear that solutions to stop these sources must be fast-tracked in order to protect public health.

Additionally, the study suggests that refineries release significant amounts of methane. The US EPA toxic release inventory emissions reports show they also emit an array of toxic air contaminants, indicating a renewed focus is needed to cut refinery pollution to protect the communities living near these facilities.

Real-time pollution monitoring technology provides an opportunity to reduce emissions and protect communities. Cost-effective technology can be installed at facilities across the state – enabling companies, regulators and communities to pinpoint potential hot spots before they even start. CARB recently proposed installing these at refineries, and requires them at natural gas storage sites, but applying them to oil and gas production facilities can make a significant impact toward minimizing hot spots across California, improve air quality and protect public health.

Methane hot spots may be prevalent across California now, but with the right tools, technologies and environmental protections in place, we can work collaboratively to make them a thing of the past.

Both images courtesy of California Air Resources Board.

Written by Marcia G. Yerman

Senator Al Franken with members of Moms Clean Air Force Minnesota.

This is a Moms Clean Air Force exclusive interview with Senator Al Franken of Minnesota:

Moms Clean Air Force: At our annual Play-In for Climate Action in Washington, D.C., mothers and children from around the country came together to demonstrate their concern for the health of our nation’s children. Given that the current administration is comprised of climate deniers and fossil fuel advocates, what do you believe the immediate future holds for the health of kids?

Senator Al Franken of Minnesota

Senator Al Franken: I have three grandchildren. I don’t want to have to tell them that when we had the chance to tackle climate change for future generations, we ignored it. I was honored to be in Paris to support the climate talks, and I believe President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the climate agreement we reached there is a catastrophic mistake that puts the short-sighted interests of his friends in the fossil fuel industry ahead of the safety and security of our kids and the future of our planet. Climate change isn’t just a problem with future consequences that we can kick down the road — it’s already threatening the livelihoods of people across the globe, and it’s a problem that requires sustained international action. That’s why I believe now is not the time to turn our backs on the rest of the world and bury our heads in the sand. We must recognize the basic fact that climate change is a real, man-made, existential threat to the planet that demands broad international action.

You were very proactive in pushing back against Scott Pruitt and Rick Perry, aggressively questioning them both during confirmation hearings and regarding recently, the “red team, blue team” proposal to evaluate U.S. climate science suggested by Pruitt. Why do you think this administration refuses to accept the science?

There is clear consensus among scientists that climate change is real and already causing social and economic damage in the United States and across the planet. In states like Minnesota, climate change is already affecting crops, lakes, wildlife, and forests, and throughout the country, effects of climate change have been seen through devastating forest fires and more frequent and extreme weather events. I believe it is the defining issue of our generation — an issue that demands immediate action. But unfortunately, there are some groups that have been trying to prevent action through a “web of denial.” These groups have spent many millions of dollars muddying the water, distorting the science, deceiving the American people, and ultimately delaying the response we desperately need.

The Department of Environmental Justice, which had been part of the EPA, has been abolished. What safeguards to you see for poor, minority, and front-line communities suffering disproportionately from the impacts of toxic pollution?

It’s incredibly concerning that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is closing the Office of Environmental Justice. It shows a complete disregard for threats facing the well-being of low-income people and communities of color. Congress tasked the EPA to protect public health through the passage of legislation like the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Now more than ever, it is critical that my colleagues and I — along with environmental groups and community members across our nation — press the EPA to maintain safeguards for public health.

America’s military experts have repeatedly called for action to address climate change because of the instability it will wreak globally. Do you plan to push this angle to your Senate colleagues as an on-the-ground reality that has already been evidenced?

You’re absolutely correct. In 2014, the Department of Defense (DOD) stated that climate change is a “significant challenge for the United States and the world at large,” calling it a “threat multiplier” as part of a DOD review. Secretary of Defense James Mattis has stated: ‘‘I agree that the effects of a changing climate — such as increased maritime access to the Arctic, rising sea levels, desertification, among others — impact our security situation.” This is certainly something that I discuss with my colleagues, and the National Defense Authorization Act that the Senate just passed requires a study about the effects of climate change to our military installations over the next 20 years. I see this as a positive step and will certainly continue to try to work with my colleagues across the aisle to act on climate change.

With President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris Accords, the high percentage of Americans who see climate change as a serious threat, are feeling very frightened. You recently joined with David Letterman to present a web series called “Boiling the Frog,” which spotlights the crisis. It uses instruction through humor. Can you tell us the genesis of this project, and what you hoped to accomplish?

Dave has a young son, and he’s been working to bring attention to tackling climate change because he also knows the stakes are too high for us to turn our backs on the rest of the world and bury our heads in the sand. While President Trump has decided to disregard science in order to repeatedly put special interests ahead of the environment, we’ve teamed up with the guys at Years of Living Dangerously to fight back. We hope to bring some much-needed attention to this critical issue, and ultimately, to help encourage people in Minnesota, Dave’s home state of Indiana, and all Americans to make their voices heard and join the fight to combat climate change.

…

U.S. Senator Al Franken grew up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. First elected to the Senate in 2008, and re-elected in 2014, he currently sits on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee; the Judiciary Committee; the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and the Committee on Indian Affairs. Sen. Franken graduated from Harvard, where he met his wife Franni. They’ve been married for 40 years, and have two grown children and two grandchildren. Before running for the Senate, Al spent 37 years as a comedy writer, author, and radio talk show host and has taken part in seven USO tours, visiting our troops overseas in Germany, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Uzbekistan-as well as visiting Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait four times.

Boiling The Frog Ep 1: Senator Al Franken Takes On Climate Change from Senator Al Franken

TELL CONGRESS: NOBODY VOTED TO MAKE AMERICA DIRTY AGAIN

We can't trust a chemical industry hired gun to put our health first. C4. MCAF. Regional.

We can't trust a chemical industry hired gun to put our health first. C4. MCAF. Regional.

By Jon Goldstein

An announcement last week from one of the country’s largest natural gas producers may have a major positive impact on revenue and clean air in New Mexico. XTO Energy, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil that made a $6 billion investment in acreage in New Mexico’s Permian Basin earlier this year, has now announced a set of commitments to “continually reduce methane emissions” from its production and midstream operations nationwide.

In making the announcement, XTO CEO Sara Ortwein made special note of the methane actions’ impact in the Permian, stating, “In particular, we’re looking forward to applying this approach to our planned expansion in the Permian Basin in New Mexico and West Texas.”

The XTO methane mitigation commitment includes a plan to find and fix methane leaks through inspections using technologies at both existing and new facilities. Further, building on a successful technology pilot project in the nearby Midland Basin, XTO will also focus on emission prevention, moving toward the use of new, less polluting devices for tank batteries and other facilities.

Such measures could go a long way toward ensuring that New Mexico feels the maximum benefit from XTO’s investments in the state. That is because methane leaks are lost revenue for important state needs like education, roads, and bridges. Wasted natural gas (primarily made up of methane) from the state’s federal and tribal lands alone total more than $100 million per year. And capturing these leaks will funnel additional funding to the state’s infrastructure and help state policymakers invest in improvements.

And because capturing methane also cuts other forms of pollution, these measures will also have a direct positive impact on local air quality that has been impacted by under-regulated oil and gas development. This is further good news for residents of southeastern New Mexico who are concerned about elevated smog pollution and exposure to known carcinogens like benzene.

Actions like XTO’s to cut methane pollution can also generate technology training opportunities and create jobs. A recent study showed companies in the methane mitigation sector have experienced 30 percent job growth in states that have stepped up with methane regulations. A major opportunity for New Mexico where economic development and new jobs are sorely needed. XTO has indicated that it will provide technology training to operations management, superintendents, foremen, operators, and further opportunities with contract leak detection and repair survey firms.

Of course, XTO isn’t the only oil and gas producer in New Mexico. In the state’s Permian Basin alone, more than $13 billion in new investments by drillers have been announced this year, a development some are calling “Permania.” But in announcing its plan to address methane, XTO is setting an important benchmark for its peers.

XTO’s methane commitment leaves no doubt that major oil and gas producers can take sensible, cost-effective action to cut methane pollution today – measures that will keep the maximum benefit from the development of New Mexico’s natural resources in New Mexico. It’s both a major opportunity and a part of doing business responsibly in New Mexico. We look forward to monitoring XTO’s progress and to gauging how other operator’s methane commitments measure up.

An announcement last week from one of the country’s largest natural gas producers may have a major positive impact on revenue and clean air in New Mexico. XTO Energy, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil that made a $6 billion investment in acreage in New Mexico’s Permian Basin earlier this year, has now announced a set of commitments to […]

By Jon Goldstein

An announcement last week from one of the country’s largest natural gas producers may have a major positive impact on revenue and clean air in New Mexico. XTO Energy, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil that made a $6 billion investment in acreage in New Mexico’s Permian Basin earlier this year, has now announced a set of commitments to “continually reduce methane emissions” from its production and midstream operations nationwide.

In making the announcement, XTO CEO Sara Ortwein made special note of the methane actions’ impact in the Permian, stating, “In particular, we’re looking forward to applying this approach to our planned expansion in the Permian Basin in New Mexico and West Texas.”

The XTO methane mitigation commitment includes a plan to find and fix methane leaks through inspections using technologies at both existing and new facilities. Further, building on a successful technology pilot project in the nearby Midland Basin, XTO will also focus on emission prevention, moving toward the use of new, less polluting devices for tank batteries and other facilities.

Such measures could go a long way toward ensuring that New Mexico feels the maximum benefit from XTO’s investments in the state. That is because methane leaks are lost revenue for important state needs like education, roads, and bridges. Wasted natural gas (primarily made up of methane) from the state’s federal and tribal lands alone total more than $100 million per year. And capturing these leaks will funnel additional funding to the state’s infrastructure and help state policymakers invest in improvements.

And because capturing methane also cuts other forms of pollution, these measures will also have a direct positive impact on local air quality that has been impacted by under-regulated oil and gas development. This is further good news for residents of southeastern New Mexico who are concerned about elevated smog pollution and exposure to known carcinogens like benzene.

Actions like XTO’s to cut methane pollution can also generate technology training opportunities and create jobs. A recent study showed companies in the methane mitigation sector have experienced 30 percent job growth in states that have stepped up with methane regulations. A major opportunity for New Mexico where economic development and new jobs are sorely needed. XTO has indicated that it will provide technology training to operations management, superintendents, foremen, operators, and further opportunities with contract leak detection and repair survey firms.

Of course, XTO isn’t the only oil and gas producer in New Mexico. In the state’s Permian Basin alone, more than $13 billion in new investments by drillers have been announced this year, a development some are calling “Permania.” But in announcing its plan to address methane, XTO is setting an important benchmark for its peers.

XTO’s methane commitment leaves no doubt that major oil and gas producers can take sensible, cost-effective action to cut methane pollution today – measures that will keep the maximum benefit from the development of New Mexico’s natural resources in New Mexico. It’s both a major opportunity and a part of doing business responsibly in New Mexico. We look forward to monitoring XTO’s progress and to gauging how other operator’s methane commitments measure up.

By Jon Goldstein

An announcement last week from one of the country’s largest natural gas producers may have a major positive impact on revenue and clean air in New Mexico. XTO Energy, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil that made a $6 billion investment in acreage in New Mexico’s Permian Basin earlier this year, has now announced a set of commitments to “continually reduce methane emissions” from its production and midstream operations nationwide.

In making the announcement, XTO CEO Sara Ortwein made special note of the methane actions’ impact in the Permian, stating, “In particular, we’re looking forward to applying this approach to our planned expansion in the Permian Basin in New Mexico and West Texas.”

The XTO methane mitigation commitment includes a plan to find and fix methane leaks through inspections using technologies at both existing and new facilities. Further, building on a successful technology pilot project in the nearby Midland Basin, XTO will also focus on emission prevention, moving toward the use of new, less polluting devices for tank batteries and other facilities.

Such measures could go a long way toward ensuring that New Mexico feels the maximum benefit from XTO’s investments in the state. That is because methane leaks are lost revenue for important state needs like education, roads, and bridges. Wasted natural gas (primarily made up of methane) from the state’s federal and tribal lands alone total more than $100 million per year. And capturing these leaks will funnel additional funding to the state’s infrastructure and help state policymakers invest in improvements.

And because capturing methane also cuts other forms of pollution, these measures will also have a direct positive impact on local air quality that has been impacted by under-regulated oil and gas development. This is further good news for residents of southeastern New Mexico who are concerned about elevated smog pollution and exposure to known carcinogens like benzene.

Actions like XTO’s to cut methane pollution can also generate technology training opportunities and create jobs. A recent study showed companies in the methane mitigation sector have experienced 30 percent job growth in states that have stepped up with methane regulations. A major opportunity for New Mexico where economic development and new jobs are sorely needed. XTO has indicated that it will provide technology training to operations management, superintendents, foremen, operators, and further opportunities with contract leak detection and repair survey firms.

Of course, XTO isn’t the only oil and gas producer in New Mexico. In the state’s Permian Basin alone, more than $13 billion in new investments by drillers have been announced this year, a development some are calling “Permania.” But in announcing its plan to address methane, XTO is setting an important benchmark for its peers.

XTO’s methane commitment leaves no doubt that major oil and gas producers can take sensible, cost-effective action to cut methane pollution today – measures that will keep the maximum benefit from the development of New Mexico’s natural resources in New Mexico. It’s both a major opportunity and a part of doing business responsibly in New Mexico. We look forward to monitoring XTO’s progress and to gauging how other operator’s methane commitments measure up.