Climate change fight gets help

Exxon outlines its steps to reduce harmful methane emissions

NEW YORK — Exxon Mobil on outlined this week how it is reducing the methane its operations release into the atmosphere, detailing its efforts as governments around the globe write new rules to regulate the harmful greenhouse gas.

The oil and gas giant seeks to influence the way those rules are written, hoping companies and regulators adopt the procedures Exxon says helped cut methane emissions by 20% in some of its U.S. drilling operations in the past two years.

“Our industry has developed high-tech advances to curb emissions, and we also hope this framework will be helpful for governments as they develop new regulations,” said Darren Woods, chairman and CEO of Exxon, in a statement accompanying a document outlining Exxon’s procedures for reducing methane emissions.

Some environmental advocates see Exxon’s move as a rebuke of President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency, which in August proposed relaxing regulations on methane emissions.

But they also said Exxon needs to be much more aggressive in its efforts to curtail global warming.

“The steps Exxon Mobil has taken and the commitments the company announced are nowhere near sufficient to get us there,” said Kathy Mulvey, accountability campaign director at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “We need to see much more ambitious and urgent actions taken by companies like Exxon Mobil.”

Methane has 86 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. It is the main component of natural gas. When companies drill for oil, they also get natural gas.

Methane is released in the atmosphere during extraction and distribution of natural gas, and while many scientists agree this is a major problem, there is little data to show exactly how much is leaking into the atmosphere.

Last year, Exxon and other oil giants pushed back against the EPA’s proposal to relax regulations on methane emissions. At the time, many had already invested in equipment and upgrades to satisfy emissions regulations enacted under former President Barack Obama. Major oil companies are also under pressure from investors to prove they will be able to adapt to future regulations that aim to curtail global warming.

“With the climate crisis upon us, companies can’t afford to ignore their contributions to climate change,” said Ben Ratner, senior director at the Environmental Defense Fund.

Exxon’s model framework included establishing a leak detection and repair program to identify and fix gas leaks as soon as possible, with inspections for leaks happening at least once per year. Some major oil companies are conducting inspections monthly, using sensors mounted on drones, Ratner said.

Exxon, based in Irving, Texas, said its framework is a starting point for discussions for policymakers, and that governments or private companies could choose to go above and beyond what’s presented in the model.

The company also suggested that if an oil and gas operator had to vent natural gas, it would be better to burn it off, or “flare” it, instead of releasing methane directly into the atmosphere. It suggested improving the combustion efficiency of flares so that methane isn’t accidentally released as a result of incomplete combustion.

But flaring releases carbon dioxide, and while that is less potent than methane, it lasts longer in the atmosphere.

RICHARD DREW/AP Exxon Mobil outlined this week how it is reducing the methane its operations release into the atmosphere.