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By Mark Omara and Joe Rudek Multiple states are exploring the use of renewable natural gas to decarbonize their gas systems. Renewable natural gas tends to be a generic term that describes a variety of fuels, including hydrogen, synthetic gas and biogas. As we explained in an earlier blog, not all biogas (a biomethane precursor) is …

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 …

New peer-reviewed findings show Permian methane emissions temporarily plummeted when oil prices crashed, but quickly rebounded to pre-pandemic highs.

As the largest producers of oil and gas, National Oil Companies have an opportunity to make deep cuts in global methane emissions.

The Biden administration is preparing to announce a new U.S. greenhouse gas emissions target for 2030 under the Paris Agreement — a pledge known as a Nationally Determined Contribution, or NDC — in advance of this year’s United Nations climate talks. Given the last four years of U.S. climate inaction and denial, it is important …

Last month, Colorado regulators unanimously adopted nation-leading rules to cut methane pollution from pneumatic devices, an often overlooked but significant source of emissions from oil and gas production. The commonsense standards drew support from the oil and gas industry and Colorado’s environmental community, and will require the use of modern, zero-emitting components at all new …

EDF statement from Colin Leyden, Director of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs

Statement of EDF President Fred Krupp – March 15, 2021

Since the U.S. is back in the Paris Agreement, all eyes are on the Biden administration to see if it will put forward a new emissions reduction commitment.

To restore American leadership in the climate crisis, the Biden administration must put forward a Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

On January 27, President Biden signed a sweeping executive order that included a commitment to reach net-zero emissions by no later than 2050.

Local government, environmental groups, and industry collaboration led the way

Texas’ Permian Basin isn’t just the site of the world’s biggest oil boom. It’s also the source of one of the country’s most unnecessary wastes of energy and associated air pollution. The burning off (flaring) and intentional release (venting) of natural gas has proven to be a black eye Permian producers can’t shake. A previous …

The transition to a low-carbon economy will have a big impact on the way we think about natural gas: how we produce, use and transport it. One area where this challenge is particularly acute is the state regulatory frameworks governing gas utilities across the country, and in particular, how those rules line up against the …

A journey of miles starts with a single step, and for the U.S. oil and gas industry and its financiers, supporting strong and swift methane regulation by the incoming Biden administration is a big step on the road to climate progress. Cutting methane emissions from the oil and gas sector is the single fastest thing …

More than 30 states actively regulate oil and gas development with a variety of practices and rules designed to reduce health, safety and environmental impacts. States engage in a process of continuous improvement by adopting new rules and practices as technologies and risk mitigation techniques evolve — even in an extraordinary year like 2020. EDF …

A new analysis commissioned by EDF from Rystad Energy makes clear that flaring from Texas’ Permian oil and gas operations is persistent and is likely to increase, but that industry can eliminate most routine flaring at zero cost with simple rules and operator changes.

By Colin Leyden and Ben Hmiel Even amidst a global pandemic and market volatility that reduced oil and gas activity, at least one thing didn’t change in the Permian last year: operators can’t seem to keep their flares lit. Throughout 2020, EDF conducted aerial surveys of portions of the Permian Basin to determine the performance …

Aerial survey findings underscore flaring’s role in the region’s outsized methane problem.

In a study in Environmental Research Letters, EDF researchers and partners use atmospheric observations to quantify methane emissions from Mexico's most important onshore and offshore oil and gas production regions.

Las instalaciones terrestres de petróleo y gas emiten 10 veces más metano de lo reportado, lo que representa una pérdida de 4.000 millones de pesos al año.

Onshore oil & gas facilities emit 10 times more methane than Mexico’s government reports. Emissions from burning natural gas represent $200M revenue loss.

EDF statement on American Petroleum Institute's reversal of its opposition to federal safeguards to reduce oil and gas industry methane emissions.

EDF Statement from Jon Goldstein, Director Regulatory and Legislative Affairs

EDF statement from Erin Murphy, Attorney, Energy Markets and Utility Regulation