DGCC Supports Acceleration of Advanced Methane Monitoring and Measurement Technologies, Spurring Emission Reduction Efforts
Differentiated Gas Coordinating Council Blog
August 4, 2023
The U.S. is taking action to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, in the natural gas industry. The Differentiated Gas Coordinating Council (DGCC) and other stakeholders engaged in the differentiated natural gas market, also called “certified gas”, are equally committed to promoting environmental responsibility and sustainability.
We recognize natural gas will play a key role in the world’s rapidly evolving energy mix for decades to come. DGCC members are playing a valuable role in reducing emissions across the entire natural gas supply chain. We believe the ability to certify low-emission natural gas provides a market-based avenue for operators to monitor, measure, and reduce emissions from production. In addition, robust certification allows electric utilities and other consumers looking to purchase responsibly sourced natural gas the confidence that those decisions result in real environmental benefit.
DGCC members are part of a growing number of industry stakeholders who provide, utilize, certify, and validate facility and site level detection and measurement technologies, including stationary point sensors, cameras, and aircraft and satellite detection, in support of emerging measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) best practices.
These advanced systems can detect and, in some cases, quantify emissions by uploading high-fidelity data to the cloud, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The use of this data allows operators to detect leaks quickly and initiate prompt corrective action. Moreover, data can usher in a new level of transparency, ensuring natural gas consumers have increasing confidence that the gas they buy has the lowest environmental impact.
Our commitment to improving environmental performance, transparency, and accountability is charting a new course in the market, building needed trust and confidence among consumers, investors, and policymakers. As federal and state governments are developing a new suite of methane regulations, DGCC members encourage collaboration across multiple stakeholders to advocate for policymakers to increase the ambition for the use of advanced technologies in these forthcoming regulations.
By embracing cutting-edge methane detection technologies and adopting MMRV practices that exceed minimum regulatory standards, we want to ensure new regulations become the floor, enabling companies to go above and beyond accelerating the reduction of methane emissions. This will create competitive pathways to developing a cleaner and more transparent energy industry.
The differentiated natural gas market exemplifies how private sector innovation and collaboration can help the U.S. and our trading partners meet their energy needs and climate goals. Encouraging these practices is paramount as DGCC endeavors to combat methane pollution in the short, medium, and long term.