The Methane Quantification Debate is a False Dichotomy and a Distraction
Introducing the Quantification Debate There is a debate raging in methane. A debate about the value of methane quantification. In the red corner, you have the quant-heads. Those designing, promoting, and implementing an emerging cacophony of company-specific quantification protocols and standards, often called “measurement-informed inventories”. They are obsessed with pinning down an ever-elusive truth, to […]
Why OGMP 2.0?
Why OGMP 2.0? 130 oil and gas companies with assets in over 70 countries. 38% of global oil and gas production. 80% of LNG flows. What is the common link? The Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0). OGMP 2.0 is the United Nation’s (UN) flagship oil and gas methane reporting framework for […]
The Highwood Bulletin 070
This week’s Highwood Bulletin contains regulatory updates (EPA, SEC), OGMP-aligned Veritas protocols, MethaneSAT and Google, IEA Methane Tracker, Highwood’s AER technology report, new OGMP 2.0 members, US DOE funding for methane, big leaks in the news, a novel Highwood analysis on super-emitters, a bank gets serious on methane, career opportunities, and the conferences you’ll find […]
Analysis: Operators can expect significant exposure to public satellite methane data
The Rise of Public Satellite Methane Data In recent years, the rapid advancement of space-based remote sensing technology has ushered in a new era of environmental monitoring. Satellites are now equipped with methane sensing capabilities, and previously invisible methane emissions are under surveillance, particularly within the oil and gas industry. With new data comes new […]
The Highwood Bulletin 069
This week brings announcements from Veritas (new protocols), the methane fee rule, the Colorado SeekOps approval, LongPath’s DoE loan, Exxon’s methane report, white papers, resources, and more. Thanks as always for reading the Highwood Bulletin! Version 2.0 of Veritas Protocols released GTI Energy announced the publication of v2 of the Veritas Protocols. The goal […]
Some Clarity on the Methane Waste Fee
In the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Congress tasked the EPA with developing a Waste Emissions Charge (WEC, i.e., waste methane fee) for the 2024 Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) reporting year and onward. EPA responded to this mandate by releasing a detailed proposed rule on January 12, 2024. Here, we summarize the motivation for this […]
Regulatory Framework for Advanced Technology Deployment: Amendments to EPA Subpart OOOOb, Part 2
On December 2nd, EPA released the final form of the highly anticipated final methane rules, OOOOb and OOOOc, regulating emissions from oil and natural gas operations. Here, we focus on OOOOb’s finalized emission monitoring requirements and how alternative/advanced technologies can be used for various compliance pathways. This is part two of a two-part series. In […]
Highwood’s accomplishments in 2023 and ambitions for 2024
Our third full year in business was our best yet. Here’s a recap of all that we accomplished – and a glimpse into what we have planned for 2024. Business Milestones • Closed a USD 3.25m SEED round to build and scale a newly announced enterprise SaaS solution. The round was led by Energy […]
Methane Rule Comparison: United States (final) vs. Canada (draft)
Methane Rule Comparison: United States (final) vs. Canada (draft) A comparison of US EPA’s OOOOb/c and Canada’s ECCC methane rules for the oil and natural gas industry. New regulations? In December 2023, at COP28, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule expected to achieve methane reductions of 87% relative to 2005. […]
The Highwood Bulletin 068
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 […]
