I’m excited to present a massive Highwood Bulletin this week that documents many exciting developments in emissions management for the oil and gas industry. This week I cover EPA’s proposed GHGRP updates, Highwood’s joining of Rice Alliance, Shell’s new production strategy, methane funding from EPA and DOE, new Carbon Mapper data, an offset protocol for orphaned wells, ASEAN Methane Leadership Program, use of methane satellites by Williams, articles, conferences, employment opportunities, and more. We’re also hiring a whole bunch of positions – come work with the amazing team at Highwood!
EPA Proposes Revisions to GHG Reporting Program
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has revealed highly anticipated updates to its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that will increase emissions reporting requirements for US operators. The 650-page document proposes significant changes, including an emphasis on empirical data and large emitters not previously accounted for. Read the EPA release here and Highwood’s blog post summary here.
Highwood joins Rice Alliance
We are thrilled to announce that we are one of 15 companies selected by the Rice Alliance Clean Energy Accelerator. We are participating in their third class, alongside other promising start-ups focused on the energy transition. Read all about it here.
Research Digest
The Highwood Bulletin covers major news in emissions management. If you’re interested in learning about novel advancements in science and research, check out our Research Bulletin. We recently published the 9th edition here.
Shell Abandons Plan to Cut Oil Production
Shell’s new CEO is taking a different approach that his predecessor by getting bullish on oil and abandoning plans to lower production. While the company is still committed to achieving Net Zero by 2050, many climate activists are unimpressed. Read more here.
EPA and DOE Announce $1 Billion for Methane Reductions
The US government is pitching in to help oil and gas companies reduce their methane emissions. The program, announced by the EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE), will support reporting, monitoring, equipment improvements, innovation, climate resiliency, and more. Read about it here.
Carbon Mapper Adds New Global Methane Data
Public methane data is becoming increasingly available. The non-profit Carbon Mapper recently announce a significant improvement to their free online database, which now include large methane plumes from around the world. Check out the data for yourself here.
New Offset Protocol for Plugging Orphaned Wells
Few voluntary offset protocols exist to help oil and gas companies fund emissions reductions. We therefore welcome news a new protocol announced by the American Carbon Registry that will enable generation of offsets when operators plug orphaned oil and gas wells. Read about the protocol and access the methodology here.
NASA to Leverage GHGSat
Methane monitoring company GHGSat has been selected by NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition Program to provide methane data that will support NASA’s research focus areas. Read more about the purchase agreement here.
New PETRONAS Collaboration Targets Methane
Methane news is often focused on North America and Europe, so I’m pleased to hear about ASEAN Energy Sector Methane Leadership Program, a new collaboration among energy operators, governments, and other organizations to promote collaboration on reducing methane emissions. Read about it here.
Highwood and MiQ Announce Methane Intensity Index
MiQ and Highwood Emissions Management (HEM) today released the first open-access, measurement-informed methane intensity index for the U.S. natural gas sector. The MiQ-Highwood Index™ provides a data-driven system aimed at supporting the certified gas market, investors, and regulators alike. Read the press release here and download the report here. Read coverage in Natural Gas Intel here.
Williams Supports Launch of Two New Methane Satellites
Williams New Energy Ventures is funding two new methane monitoring satellites: Orbital Sidekick and Satlantis Technology. Williams has been vocal about its desire to create a credible market for low-emissions gas and believes that these satellites will assist the company in achieving its commitments to the UN’s Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0 reporting framework. Read more here.
Article: Methane Regulations in Europe and North America
Looking for a deep dive on rapidly evolving international methane policy? If so, check out the excellent overview, ‘Transatlantic Efforts to Cut Methane Emissions’ by Ben Cahill and Allegra Dawes of the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Read the article for free here.
Conference: EPA International Emissions Inventory Conference
The biennial US EPA called the International Emissions Inventory Conference (IEIC) is returning and will be held this year in Seattle from September 26-29. Emissions inventories are a popular topic these days, so join Highwood by registering for the free conference here.
Article: EU Methane Reductions from Natural Gas
Interested in how the European Union is planning to reduce methane emissions associated with natural gas (hint: you should be)? A recent article by Drs. Tim Boersma and Robert Kleinberg from the Columbia Center on Global Energy Policy get deep into the details. Read the free article here.
Resource: EPA Methane Rulemaking Timeline
Confused about all the new EPA methane regulations and when they’ll take effect? You’re not alone. That’s why our colleagues at Harvard Environmental & Energy Law Program have broken it down in a simple timeline – including the Section 111 methane rule, revised Subpart W, and the Methane Waste Emission Fee. Bookmark the timeline here.
Blog: Recap of Highwood’s Thomas Fox on Veriten
On June 7, Highwood’s President Thomas Fox, was featured on the Veriten C.O.B. Tuesday Webinar. The conversation is over an hour, so Highwood’s Molly Reyes took the opportunity to distill the key takeaways in a great blog post called “Emissions Management: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once!” Read the blog here and listen to the podcast here.
Conference: World Petroleum Congress
The World Petroleum Congress, held every three years and often called ‘The Olympics’ of the petroleum industry, will be held this year in Calgary. It is the world’s largest and most prestigious O&G event. This year, emissions will be an important topic. Highwood’s President Thomas Fox will be presenting on recent research the company has performed on optimizing technology deployment and abatement strategies. Learn more and register here.
Want to Write for the Bulletin?
We’re always looking for guest writers who would like to contribute a Feature Article to the Highwood Bulletin. Please reach out if you’d like to write an unbiased, apolitical, solution-agnostic article for our ~2500 subscribers and ~7500 LinkedIn followers on an emissions management topic. Please reach out to [email protected] with your idea. Authors are fully credited and have a profile page on our website (we are happy to backlink).
Join our Team! Highwood is Hiring!
We currently have multiple exciting career postings on our website. In addition to those listed, Highwood is always looking for bright folks who want to help us change the world for the better. If you have experience in greenhouse gas emissions management and you’re looking for a career change, please reach out! Check out our active opportunities on our website by clicking here.
