The Highwood Bulletin 068

Thomas Fox
President, Highwood Emissions Management

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The Highwood Bulletin is our way of sharing what we learn. We publish regular updates on emissions management news, novel research, and special insights from our team of experts and our partners.

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A flurry of announcements at COP28 has left the O&G methane community dazed and scrambling to get clarity on the implications of new regulations, public datasets, commitments, and initiatives. We’ll be posting a variety of articles to help get our readers up to speed. To start, this week’s newsletter provides a quick and dirty overview of recent events. Thanks as always for reading the Highwood Bulletin!

 

Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter Announced

Launched at COP28 by 50 O&G companies around the world, the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC) commits to 0.2% methane intensity by 2030, net-zero Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2050, and the elimination of routine flaring. Members include super-majors and NOCs and collectively account for 40% of global oil production. Read about it here. In parallel, leading technical experts (IOGP, MGP, OGCI, and EDF) have teamed up to develop a framework to help companies participate. Read more here.

 

US EPA Releases Final Methane Rules

On December 2nd, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published the final version of the long-awaited methane rule. The rule includes standards for new and modified sources as of December 6th, 2022 (40 C.F.R. part 60, subpart OOOOb) and a new subpart (OOOOc) for existing sources. Click here to dive head-first into the ~1700 page rule.

 

Canada’s ECCC Releases Draft Methane Rules

Following immediately on the heels of the final EPA rule, Canada’s Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) published a draft rule to reduce O&G methane emissions by 75% below 2012 levels by 2030. Fortunately, the document is only 100 pages. Dive in here and submit your comments by February 14, 2024.

 

Exxon, INPEX, others join OGMP 2.0

A flurry of companies announced during COP that they would join the UN Oil and Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP) 2.0, including INPEX (Japan), Bapco (Bahrain), and KazMunayGas (Kazakhstan). Most notably, ExxonMobil joined, pivoting from its former stance, and joining other US majors like ConocoPhillips and Occidental.

 

Canada announce emissions cap for O&G

The Government of Canada has announced a national emissions cap-and-trade system targeting the oil and gas sector. It intends to publish draft regulations in mid-2024, finalize them in 2025, and require annual reporting as early as 2026. The system will likely be phased in from 2026 to 2030. Read more here.

 

Data: Carbon Mapper new data portal

Do you love free methane data? Carbon Mapper has updated their data portal with tons of new features and data. Check it out here as they continue to add new data.

 

Data: Kayrros Methane Watch

Speaking of new and free public data, Kayrros has published a public web portal with satellite methane plume data dating back to 2019. Check it out here.

 

Data: IMEO MARS

Well, we’re really on a roll now. Even more public methane data has been made available through a new platform called the Methane Alert and Response System (MARS), hosted by the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO). Check it out here.

 

Data: NASA launches GHG data center

I promise this is the last one. NASA has launched a US GHG Center, which includes a comprehensive data catalogue that spans methane, carbon dioxide, and a variety of models and inventories. Learn more about it here and browse all data here.

 

Report: IMEO publishes third annual report

The International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) has published their third annual report, “An Eye on Methane: The road to radical transparency”. The report covers public data, new research, industry partnerships, OGMP 2.0, MARS, and MRV frameworks. Read it 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.

The Highwood Bulletin is our way of sharing what we learn. We publish regular updates on emissions management news, novel research, and special insights from our team of experts and our partners.

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