UH professor says level playing field needed in methane emissions
The International Energy Agency issued a report in late February chastising the fossil fuel industry for not doing enough to curb methane emissions. The agency’s annual Methane Gas Tracer report said some 75 percent of methane emissions from the oil and gas sector could be reduced with cheap, readily available technologies.
“The thrust (of the report) is accurate,” said Victor Flatt, visiting professor and Burke Environmental Law Center distinguished fellow at the University of Houston, “how much the fossil fuel industry is responsible and that emissions are actually higher than reported.”
In addition, he said, there is low-cost technology available to the industry.
“In the US, it’s hard to get companies to reduce emissions voluntarily,” he said. “It’s better to have a level playing field.”
New Mexico, for example, has emissions regulations that are more stringent than those in Texas, he pointed out.
That being said, he observed that emissions in China and Russia are far more intensive than in the U.S. “The U.S. is not the whole problem, or even half the problem,” he said.
Flatt surmised that the IEA report is directed at several audiences. One goal is to bolster U.S. companies being required to reduce emissions and another goal is to increase international pressure on other nations to take steps to reduce their emissions.
Russia is the worst emitter, while the U.S. typically is ranked second or third, he said, and has curtailed its emissions somewhat.
In the Permian Basin, Flatt noted, there are occasional instances of methane leaks so concentrated they become toxic. It’s an unusual occurrence, he said, but shows emissions are not fully controlled.
“You can’t blame companies for engaging in capitalism — that’s what we want. (But) if we want to control emissions,” he said, “we do need regulations in place that require containment be done a certain way. We need leak detection, we need leak repair and we need them to be required.”
Planned federal regulations are drawing qualified support from the industry, particularly from the larger operators. That was because they already met standards, Flatt said — “again, leveling the playing field” — and they also have international contracts that could be jeopardized by methane emissions.
When the Trump administration pulled back on methane regulations, Flatt noted that the international response resulted in a large monetary hit to U.S. companies — including a $6 billion contract canceled by France.
“Majors want to succeed and not lose $6 billion contracts,” he said.
Despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and European nations’ efforts to disentangle themselves from Russian energy, Flatt said Europeans remain concerned about climate change.
There are a number of international initiatives on reducing methane emissions and a number of major oil producers have signed on, he noted.