Natural Gas and 'Clean Energy Week'

Mark Green
Posted September 26, 2018

It’s Clean Energy Week, which API is proud to sponsor. Thus, a new commitment by an oil and natural gas industry group – the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI) – to reduce methane emissions is well-timed indeed. Three big points from OGCI’s announcement and Clean Energy Week:

1. Clean natural gas is integral to climate progress

There’s no better illustration than the United States, which leads the world in reducing carbon dioxide emissions, largely because of increased use of natural gas.

Because of natural gas, U.S. CO₂ emissions are at 25-year lows. Emissions from the power sector alone plummeted 28 percent between 2005 and 2017 – again, mostly because the country is using more natural gas to fuel electricity generation.

2. Industry is leading in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Beyond producing the natural gas that helps lower emissions as it makes people’s lives better, industry is reducing methane emissions during production – down 14 percent since 1990, as natural gas output increased more than 50 percent.

The reasons for this progress are relatively simple: Capturing methane is the right thing to do for the environment – and it’s the right business thing to do. Groups such as the OGCI and The Environmental Partnership are spearheading industry efforts to retain as much methane as possible during production. Again, it’s part of an industry commitment to work for climate solutions and it’s a valuable product that can be delivered to consumers.

Members of the OGCI this week committed to reducing their methane emissions one-fifth by 2025. More than half of OGCI’s members also belong to The Environmental Partnership, which has grown to more than 40 members in just seven months. ExxonMobil belongs to OGCI, and its subsidiary, XTO Energy, belongs to The Environmental Partnership. CEO Darren Woods:

“It will take the collective efforts of many in the energy industry and society to develop scalable, affordable solutions that will be needed to address the risks of climate change. This dual challenge is one of the most important issues facing society and our company.”

Above: Matt Todd, program director for The Environmental Partnership, at this week’s CH4 Connections Conference.

3. Climate action isn’t exclusive to government regulation or special-interest agendas

See Point #2 above. Through advanced technology and collaboration, the oil and natural gas industry is developing solutions as it continues to provide the energy needed to power the economy and make possible the modern standard of living Americans enjoy. Progress is coming from innovation and private investment by energy producers. More from members of The Environmental Partnership:

• ConocoPhillips sustainability report
• Occidental Petroleum 2018 climate report
• Encana electrification of upstream natural gas facilities

Below, a video on greenhouse gas and air quality management from Anadarko:

So, as the oil and natural gas industry joins others in celebrating and supporting Clean Energy Week, we do so as tangible agents of progress – in our products and operations. And in commitments to deploy the best available technologies to accelerate progress now and to develop new technology solutions for the future.