EQM and Equitrans support the efforts to reduce methane emissions

“Americans have worked to increase production of our domestic oil and gas resources and provide safe transportation to supply our nation with reliable, cost-effective energy; and we believe methane controls and reduction should continue to evolve, rather than take steps backward,” said Diana Charletta, president and chief operating officer of Equitrans Midstream. “Our industry has made great strides during the past decade, with the US EPA's April 2019 inventory report showing total methane emissions are down 15.8% since 1990. While this is a good start, we cannot and should not be satisfied with this achievement. We must continue to push our industry forward in a meaningful way in order to effectuate real mitigation of climate change impacts.

“Methane is the most significant component of the gas that we move for our customers – from the point of extraction, to processing, and ultimately to business and residential consumers; therefore, we must be accountable and responsible for understanding, assessing, and improving our methane management practices,” Charletta continued.

ETRN and EQM acknowledge that it is not enough to achieve regulatory compliance on methane emissions in order to address the global impacts of climate change. The companies proactively pursue the implementation of best practices and recognise that reducing their overall carbon footprint and mitigating their operational impact is imperative for the sustainability of the environment, their communities, and their business.

As a member of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), ETRN and other member companies work with regulators to ensure that natural gas pipelines, compressor stations, and storage facilities are designed and built safely and operate in ways that minimise methane emissions.

ETRN and EQM currently utilise various methane mitigation methods across their operations and are evaluating additional enhancement and mitigation efforts, such as: expansion of the Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programme; pneumatic controller upgrades; recompression of pipeline gas prior to maintenance procedures; and upgrading existing stations with air or electric starts.

During 2Q19, ETRN joined the Environmental Partnership – a voluntary reduction programme offered through the American Petroleum Institute and the ONE Future Coalition, which is a group of natural gas companies working together to voluntarily reduce methane emissions across the natural gas supply chain, with a goal to lower emissions to 1% by 2025.

Along with creating American jobs; generating local, state, and federal tax revenues; and growing the US economy – the oil and gas industry continues to responsibly produce and deliver domestic energy resources in order to sustain our energy independence. ETRN and EQM urge the US EPA to reconsider its proposed changes to methane emissions regulations.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/26092019/eqm-and-equitrans-support-the-efforts-to-reduce-methane-emissions/