Advancing Emissions Quantification

Trust in the industry’s reported methane inventory is a priority for API member companies. We support voluntary measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) to accurately quantify methane emissions and to help enable further emissions reductions.

Our industry welcomes transparency and accountability in data reporting, and we are continuously working to achieve actionable data that advances our understanding of methane emissions and the industry’s relative contribution. Our focus is on ensuring any data is scientifically sound and provides an accurate view of emissions to support continuous improvement across the industry.

Long-established reporting methodologies rely on emissions and activity factors to build an estimated methane emissions inventory, but as technology advances and our understanding of emissions evolve, the natural gas and oil industry is working to incorporate direct measurement of methane into its reporting and establish consistent reporting practices.

API Guidance Document for GHG Reporting

API member companies value clear, concise and comparable GHG reporting. API’s Guidance Document for GHG Reporting and Compendium of GHG Emissions Methodologies for the Natural Gas and Oil Industry are intended to drive consistency of voluntary reporting by individual natural gas and oil companies of a core set of company-wide GHG indicators, including methane.

Initiatives to Improve Methane Intensity Reporting

API supports the use of accurate and transparent data in emissions reporting, and our members are actively driving multiple initiatives across the industry to improve methane reporting. Below are several initiatives underway, each of which involve the voluntary participation of some API member companies, to advance quantification of methane emissions.

• GTI Veritas: Methane Emissions Measurement and Verification Initiative: GTI Energy has partnered with more than 35 stakeholders to develop Veritas, a series of technical protocols for each segment of the natural gas industry built to develop verified, measurement-informed methane emissions inventories. The protocols are open-source and can be used by anyone at no cost.
• The Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0): OGMP is a global multi-stakeholder partnership with representatives from governments, international organizations, non-government organizations and the oil and gas industry. It is managed by the UN Environment Programme. OGMP 2.0 is a measurement-based reporting framework for methane emissions which companies voluntarily commit to implementing, aiming to improve the accuracy and transparency of methane emissions reporting to foster emissions reductions.
• Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab (EEMDL): EEMDL is a joint research and education initiative made up of UT Austin, Colorado State University, and the Colorado School of Mines and sponsored by several natural gas and oil companies. EEMDL aims to address the challenge of interpreting methane emissions measurements. The tools developed by EEMDL can be used for emissions reconciliation, developing measurement-informed inventory estimates, or other applications as required by various standards and reporting systems.

Supporting Voluntary and Transparent Differentiated Natural Gas Markets

API supports efforts to promote the development of voluntary and transparent differentiated natural gas markets, and several of those efforts are underway. API believes that such efforts should reflect industry input into the workability of such market development proposals and account for natural gas end-user demand for lower-impact natural gas production. API’s support for differentiated natural gas markets does not supplant its support for the direct regulation of methane. Several third-party certification providers are used on a voluntary basis by some API members.