ExxonMobil is plugging methane leaks and making new friends - Grist | Grist

Today is Tuesday, June 26, and ExxonMobil is plugging methane leaks and making new friends.

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The biggest oil and gas company in the world is ready to do something about its methane problem. In May, ExxonMobil announced plans to reduce its methane emissions by 15 percent by the year 2020. The company says it’s already trimmed down by 9 percent since 2016 — a pretty big deal for a business that produces enough natural gas to satisfy 14 percent of the U.S. demand.

Methane, as regular Beacon readers know, is a greenhouse gas that’s 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Reining it in is key to avoid runaway climate change — which makes Exxon’s recent efforts critical.

The oil giant just announced partnerships with a bunch of different organizations, to develop technologies to clamp down on methane leaks. Among its new commitments: participation in studies conducted by the Department of Energy and the EPA’s Oil and Gas Initiative, as well as a methane emissions consortium dedicated to reducing greenhouse gases with fellow oil giants like Chevron.

Exxon’s moves come not a moment too soon. A six-year methane study published last week in the journal Science showed that the EPA has drastically underestimated how much methane companies produce — it’s about 60 percent higher than the agency reported. Most of those emissions come from undetected leaks, hence Exxon’s new commitment to developing leak-detection-and-repair technologies and programs.

The recent methane push has also earned Exxon at least one strange bedfellow: the Environmental Defense Fund. Yep, the same Environmental Defense Fund whose president, just three years ago, supported an investigation into the corporation’s handling of research it had on the reality of climate change.

To prove to the world that their unlikely pairing is official, the EDF and Exxon co-hosted a panel about methane at the 2018 World Gas Conference on Monday. Congrats, guys! Can’t wait for the wedding.

— Zoya Teirstein

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spare change

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