The Environmental Partnership continues to reduce emissions as it enters year ahead

WASHINGTON, December 5, 2019 – The Environmental Partnership today marked its second anniversary with continued growth, and now represents more than one-third of U.S. industry’s production with 69 participating oil and natural gas companies. The initiative includes 32 of the top 40 natural gas producers and has nearly tripled its participation in its first two years as companies from coast to coast continue to innovate and add best practices to improve their environmental performance and further reduce emissions in every U.S. basin.

“The rapid growth of The Environmental Partnership in its first two years demonstrates the commitment of the U.S. natural gas and oil industry to delivering solutions that lower emissions while meeting society’s growing energy needs,” said Matthew Todd, program director of The Environmental Partnership. “The collective actions of the industry in The Environmental Partnership have already proven effective in reducing emissions, and we are proud of the achievements of this growing coalition.”

Overall, methane emissions from the natural gas industry have fallen 14 percent even as production has increased by 50 percent since 1990. This is effectively a 43 percent reduction in the rate of emissions, further demonstrating the industry’s continued progress in minimizing emissions as we maximize efficiency in getting energy to the consumer. The participants in The Environmental Partnership, and the actions they’re taking, continue to build upon this positive trend by focusing on environmental progress, operational efficiency and sustainability.

Recent accomplishments of The Environmental Partnership and its participants include:

• Applying Leak Detection and Repair Programs: Participants conducted more than 156,000 surveys across nearly 80,000 production sites. The surveys inspected more than 56 million components and found that only 0.16 percent of components were in need of repair – ten times lower than EPA’s estimated 1.4 percent, and 99 percent of these were repaired within 60 days.
• Upgrading and replacing emissions-related equipment: More than 31,000 high-bleed pneumatic controllers were replaced, retrofitted or removed from service by participants.
• Growing leadership: Membership has tripled in the partnership’s first two years, now including nearly 70 oil and natural gas companies and representing one-third of U.S industry’s production. 32 of the top 40 US Natural Gas Producers in 2018 are participating companies.
• Sharing Innovation: The group has held annual conferences to discuss cutting-edge research and technology developments by academia, tech developers, equipment manufacturers and regulators. Natural gas and oil operators have also attended frequent regional workshops across the country where industry experts shared lessons learned and best practices focused on reducing emissions.
• Advancing New Technologies: Funding was provided for emission detection testing and research at Colorado State University’s METEC facility.

In December 2017, a group of 26 natural gas and oil production companies formed The Environmental Partnership. These companies committed to continuously improving their environmental performance through the implementation of programs that target emissions through collaboration, proven methods and advanced technology. For more information, read the Environmental Partnership’s 2019 annual report online.

API represents all segments of America’s oil and natural gas industry. Our more than 600 members produce, process and distribute most of the nation’s energy. The industry supports more than ten million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization. In our first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability.