American Petroleum Institute Endorses U.S. Carbon Pricing
In a surprising shift, the American Petroleum Institute (API), which represents nearly 600 U.S. oil and gas companies, has come out in support of a federal price on carbon. The API is also now in support of accelerating the deployment of carbon capture and storage technologies and the implementation of federal methane regulations for new and existing wells. Click here for the full story.
Trudeau’s New Price on Carbon is Here to Stay
On Thursday, March 24th, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of allowing a new federal carbon price that is set to rise from $30 to $170 per tonne by 2030. The new climate plan is highly contentious, especially among Provincial and Federal Conservative parties. Read more about the ruling here.
The International Emissions Trading Association will be holding a public webinar on March 30th to provide a briefing of the decision and discuss its significance. Click here to register.
New Mexico Natural Gas Waste Rule Finalized
The New Mexico Oil Conservation Division has finalized a set of rules that are designed to prevent waste of natural gas. The rule will ban flaring and venting (bar emergencies) and will mandate the capture of 98% of natural gas emissions. The rule is expected to significantly reduce emissions of methane, the primary constituent of natural gas, in both the San Juan and Permian basins. Click here for the full story, click here for the finalized rules, and click here for a fact sheet with FAQs.
Énergir to Purchase EO100 Certified Natural Gas Exclusively
Énergir, the primary natural gas distributor for the Province of Québec, has announced that it has committed to acquiring 100% of its natural gas from companies that have been certified through the Equitable Origin EO100 Standard. To date, EO100 has only certified a single natural gas producer: Seven Generations Energy. Learn more here.
Report: National Oil Companies Should Step Up to Reduce Methane Emissions
A new report by Carbon Limits and the Environmental Defense fund has found that more action is required from national oil companies to reduce global methane emissions from the oil and gas industry. The free report proposes a number of solutions to motivate action. Read more here or download the report here.
Research: EPA Methane Emissions Rules under Obama vs. Trump vs. Biden
A new study by Robert Kleinberg compares Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methane emissions policies as they have evolved (and are expected to evolve) under three presidents. The study finds that previous methane rules under Presidents Obama and Trump each had strengths and weaknesses, and that many opportunities exist for President Biden to improve upon these rules.
Research: New Satellite Estimates for Anthropogenic Methane Emissions in North America
A new study by a team of researchers from Harvard, China, the U.K., and elsewhere has analyzed atmospheric observations of methane emissions across North America using GOSAT. The study estimates that anthropogenic methane emissions in the U.S. are between 29.4 and 31.3 million tonnes per year (how much gas is that?) Of all methane sources, those from the oil and gas industry were most uncertain. Click here to read the full study.
Research: Environmental Regulations in Canada During COVID-19
Resource: Updated funding cheat sheet
In November 2020, Highwood published a popular “cheat sheet” to help navigate the various funding opportunities for reducing carbon emissions from the oil and gas sector. View the funding cheat sheet here.
Four months later, the funding landscape has changed significantly, and we are pleased to publish version two of our free funding cheat sheet. Click here to access the updated resource.
Resource: Methane Emissions Glossary
Webinar: The Role of Hydrogen in Low Carbon Energy Systems
Interested in learning more about the role of hydrogen in the road to zero emissions energy systems? Tune into a free webinar on April 13th, 2021, hosted by Gas Technology Institute (GTI). To register for the webinar, or to learn more about the GTI Tech Talk webinar series, click here.
Webinar: The Hydrogen Question
Join Sustainable Calgary, the University of Calgary, and panelists Dr. Ian Gates, Dr. Sara Hastings-Simon, and Dr. Noel Keough as they explore the role of hydrogen in Alberta’s future low-carbon economy. Click here to register.
Course: Scope 1 Emissions from the Oil and Gas Industry
Are you an oil and gas professional interested in learning how to inventory, quantify, and report Scope 1 greenhouse gas emissions? Need professional development credits? We have just the right course for you, designed and delivered by Highwood Emissions Management CEO Jessica Shumlich. Click here to learn more and to register.
