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Talk is cheap. For years, oil and gas companies have publicly talked about their support for the EPA’s efforts to cut methane from the sector (see the quotes at the end of this post). Their support, for better or for worse, helped bolster pressure on the Biden administration to enact strong rules to slash pollution from oil and gas operations, which will protect the health of millions of Americans and take important steps towards preventing a climate crisis.
Now, with Trump ready to take office, two Texas-based industry trade groups – Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association (TIPRO) and Texas Oil and Gas Association (TXOGA) – are making an aggressive appeal to the incoming president to scrap these efforts.
We aren’t surprised by their tactics. Both of these groups have shown they value industry profits over the health of their fellow Texans. We also aren’t really surprised that the companies that lined up to support the Biden Administration’s important safeguards are now nowhere to be found; that’s a pretty consistent theme.
What surprised us was when we took a look at the members of these two trade groups, we found many of those same methane rule “supporters.” Not only were they members, many of them hold positions of power.
Five members of TXOGA Board have made public statements of support for the EPA methane rules and eight members (including the five that supported EPA’s rules) are members of the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership 2.0 (OGMP 2.0).
Companies that are members of OGMP 2.0 and serve on the TXOGA Board:
- Chevron (supported EPA rules)
- Exxon (supported EPA rules)
- Oxy (supported EPA rules)
- Devon (supported EPA rules)
- ConocoPhillips (supported EPA rules)
- Diamondback Energy
- Coterra Resources
- EOG Resources
Additionally, six companies that stated support for the rules when they were proposed sit on the TIPRO Regulatory Committee which, according to the group, “oversees TIPRO’s involvement on proposed new regulations, as well as meets to discuss submitting new proposals on behalf of the industry.”
TIPRO Regulatory Committee:
- Bp
- Coterra
- Oxy
- Cheniere
- ConocoPhillips
- Pioneer
As we have highlighted before, the gap between what oil and gas companies say versus what they do is troubling.
In Texas, polluters don’t even feel the need to hide their two-faced approach to policy or their emissions. For years we’ve documented the issues at oil and gas wells and other infrastructure in the state, as well as sounded the alarm on the outsized portion of emissions coming from the top fossil fuel producing state in the U.S. Now, satellites are helping back up what we have been saying for nearly a decade.
It is time for these operators to stop dancing around their pollution issues and start putting their money where their mouth is. If a company claimed to support methane rules (the list is below), it’s time to step up and be vocal – tell the incoming Trump administration to keep the EPA’s new Clean Air Act methane standards as is.
Claims of EPA Methane Rule Support:
BP America: “A well designed rule will help drive material methane emission reductions this decade and beyond. We congratulate the administration on this important milestone and look forward to working together on the next phases of implementation.” – 2023
Shell “We need to restore the direct federal regulation of #methane emissions — and we urge Congress to approve the methane resolution under the Congressional Review Act,” -2021
EQT Corporation: EQT Corporation supports congressional resolutions that would reinstate a rule imposing a federal standard on methane. Company believes the “responsible development of natural gas will help meet future global energy demand as we address climate change together” 2021
TotalEnergies – “My view is that this will not help the industry, but on the contrary it will demonise, and then the dialogue will be even more antagonised…I prefer to have good regulations in the US, for example, in methane I prefer the EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] to be stringent . . . I am not in favour of the wild west.” – 2024
Equinor “Equinor has supported the direct federal regulation of methane in the US. Good to see continued progress announced…by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to put a framework in place for the regulation of new, modified, and existing sources of methane. Continuing to cut methane emissions is one of the most effective and important ways to address climate change. It is important stakeholders continue to work together as the rule is finalized and implemented.” – 2023
Oxy “We are committed to working with environmental groups and regulators to advocate for environmentally sound state and federal regulations that achieve methane reductions, incentivize early action, and support flexibility and innovation. Oxy used the same approach for EPA’s proposed methane rules and commented in support of EPA’s expanded framework for federal methane regulations. We are reviewing the final rule to evaluate how the EPA incorporated feedback on the proposal. Oxy is committed to responsible environmental performance to proactively reduce methane emissions.” – 2023
PureWest Energy “Looking ahead to 2024, it’s because of these historic investments and partnerships that PureWest is well positioned to comply with the new EPA methane rule. Further, we are encouraged by EPA’s pathway for adoption of advanced methane detection methodologies and believe adoption of this approach for empirical data collection in forthcoming EPA rules, including the methane fee rule and greenhouse gas reporting rule, will encourage and enable these best-in-class investments into the future. We believe the EPA methane rule could play an important role in the clean energy transition by helping to reduce emissions across the energy value chain, without sacrificing reliable energy access.” – 2023
ExxonMobil “Last year we [ExxonMobil] announced our support for the direct regulation of methane emissions for new and existing oil and gas facilities. That hasn’t changed.” – 2019
Cheniere: To maximize the climate benefits of natural gas, we recognize the imperative to minimize #methane emissions across the natural gas value chain. We support effective policies and regulations that reduce methane emissions, including the current Congressional Review Act effort to restore federal regulation of methane emissions. Cheniere will continue to collaborate with industry, academia and the scientific community to deliver cost-effective solutions that reduce methane emissions from the natural gas sector. We also will continue to push for increased transparency regarding methane emissions reporting and data, as well as efforts that create a level playing field with all operators domestically and internationally. -2021
Pioneer Natural Resources: Pioneer has long supported federal regulation of methane if those regulations encourage innovation and operational flexibility. Clear rules would provide certainty for operators and strong environmental benefits. We support use of the CRA to reinstate regulation of methane” – 2021
