Emission management

Oil and Gas Coalition Aims To End Routine Flaring by 2030

A coalition of oil and gas trade groups says it aims to end routine flaring by 2030 as the Texas Railroad Commission indicates it will crack down on the practice.

Flaring.jpg
Flaring on a site near Orla, Texas, on 29 April 2020. A coalition of oil and gas trade groups say they aim to end routine flaring by 2030 as the Railroad Commission indicates it will crack down on the practice.
Credit: Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle.

A coalition of oil and gas trade groups says it aims to end routine flaring by 2030 as the Texas Railroad Commission indicates it will crack down on the practice.

The Texas Methane and Flaring Coalition on 10 February said it will work to end the burning of excess natural gas from oil wells when there is a lack of gas gathering and processing systems to take it to market. The organization, which includes seven trade associations and more than 40 Texas operators, said it maintains the right to flare for safety reasons.

“To further reduce our emissions while generating abundant, affordable and reliable energy, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to solving problems—not costly top-down mandates that attempt to pick winners and losers,” said Jason Modglin, president of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. “Commitments like the one today, along with the strong leadership of the Texas Railroad Commission, will ensure Texans continue to reap the benefit of the safe production of our natural resources to fund our schools, roads, and water infrastructure.”

The oil industry has long battled the issue of flaring, which releases greenhouse gases such as methane, which is 84 times more capable of trapping heat than carbon dioxide. It is also a waste of natural resources that could yield $440 million of additional revenue by 2025 if 98% of natural gas from Texas wells was captured, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.

A trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Permian Basin of West Texas has been flared since 2013, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Formed in December 2019, the statewide methane and flaring coalition has been working to improve operations and environmental practices to minimize flaring, such as using robots and drones to detect leaks. The Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas operations in the state, in November began requiring operators to provide reasons for flaring.

Read the full story here.