The Environmental Partnership More Than Doubles In Size In Its First Year

Industry-Led Initiative Now Includes 53 Participating Companies Representing Nearly One-Third of American Natural Gas Production

On December 5^th, The Environmental Partnership will mark its first anniversary by announcing that it has more than doubled in size since the initiative was launched. The industry-led program is now made up of 53 oil and natural gas producing companies representing nearly one-third of the industry’s production, who are working to continuously improve their environmental performance.

“The tremendous growth in The Environmental Partnership’s first year demonstrates the overwhelming desire within the industry to find new ways to work together on environmental issues. This has been a busy year for the Partnership with multiple workshops and conferences designed to help us learn, collaborate and take action together,” said Matthew Todd, Program Director of The Environmental Partnership. “Participants in The Environmental Partnership are committed to taking action, learning and sharing best practices, and fostering collaboration to responsibly develop our nation's essential natural gas and oil resources. In the past year, reports have shown continued progress in the reduction of industry emissions, including a 16 percent drop in methane emissions from U.S. natural gas systems. The Environmental Partnership is focused on providing a forum to continue these achievements, building solutions that help improve our understanding of emissions and how best to further reduce them.”

The Environmental Partnership’s initial focus has been to build on the industry’s success in reducing emissions of methane and volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs. To that end, the Partnership held workshops in Texas, Pennsylvania, and Colorado during 2018 that took an in-depth look at the most advanced technologies and actions that can further reduce these emissions. These workshops, open to oil and natural gas producers of all sizes and operating across the nation, allowed for open dialogue between companies on their challenges and their best practices. Even non-participant companies were welcome to join in these workshops and benefit from this collaborative effort.

Participants in The Environmental Partnership have also been employing at least one of three Environmental Performance Programs designed to further reduce emissions. These include:

1. Leak Program for Natural Gas and Oil Production Sources: Participants are monitoring and quickly repairing fugitive emissions at selected sites utilizing detection methods and technologies such as portable analyzers or optical gas imaging cameras.
2. Program to Replace, Remove or Retrofit High-Bleed Pneumatic Controllers: Participants are replacing, removing or retrofitting high-bleed pneumatic controllers with low- or zero-emitting devices.
3. Program for Manual Liquids Unloading for Natural Gas Production Sources: Participants are minimizing emissions associated with the removal of liquids that, as a well ages, can build up and restrict natural gas flow.

Companies participating in these programs have committed to submitting annual data on their progress to the Partnership that will be compiled and released publicly. The Partnership expects its first report with this data to be released next year.

Participants In The Environmental Partnership Now Include:

About API
API is the only national trade association representing all facets of the natural gas and oil industry, which supports 10.3 million U.S. jobs and nearly 8 percent of the U.S. economy. API’s more than 600 members include large integrated companies, as well as exploration and production, refining, marketing, pipeline, and marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 47 million Americans.