A Wyoming natural gas company has received recognition from an international program for providing detailed measurements of the methane emissions from its natural gas field.
Jonah Energy has achieved the “Gold Standard” in the Oil and Gas Methane Partnership, a United Nations-sponsored program, for its efforts to accurately report emissions from its production fields.
Paul Ulrich, Jonah’s vice present for government and regulatory affairs, said the achievement is the result of Jonah’s efforts to provide actual verified data on the methane emissions from equipment at the fields rather than estimates created using mathematical formulas.
The OGMP is a partnership involving environmental groups and members of the oil and gas industry that is designed to improve the accuracy of emission data being collected around the world. The resulting standardized emission measurements are expected to make it easier to track methane emission changes and reduce emissions.
Ulrich said Jonah won the “gold standard” recognition by meeting 85% of the reporting criteria set forth by the OGMP and by putting plans in place for increasing accuracy and reducing emissions in the future.
“It’s a recognition that our work to date and our commitment to further reduce emissions and migrate to direct emission measurements is meeting their criteria,” he said.
Achieving the “gold standard” shows that natural gas can be a very clean energy source, he added.
“For us, it means we’ve taken another step in leading the industry and demonstrating to the public that natural gas can be a clean foundational energy source for decades to Coe if we continue to produce it much cleaner than we have in the past,” he said. “We’ve laid that foundation.”
He added Jonah has already reduced its potential for methane emissions by 68% over the last three years.
Jonah Energy is one of two natural gas companies to have joined the OGMP. The other is EQT, which produces natural gas in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.
Jonah’s accomplishment won praise from an official with the United Nations Environmental Programme.
“We applaud Jonah Energy’s leadership and congratulate Jonah for being the first US company to reach the highest standard for their methane reporting plan in the oil and gas industry,” said Manfredi Caltagirone.
