Exxon Mobil released its internal policy on methane emissions Tuesday, urging governments to use it as model for industrywide methane regulation.
The Trump administration has moved to roll back federal methane regulations, drawing opposition from not only environmental groups but large oil companies, including Texas-based Exxon, who argue it is good policy needed to rein in the widespread flaring of natural gas across U.S. oil and gas fields.
“Our industry has developed high-tech advances to curb emissions, and we also hope this framework will be helpful for governments as they develop new regulations,” Exxon CEO Darren Woods said.
Among the recommendations by Exxon, which were developed with environmental groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund and the Rocky Mountain Institute, are regulations that would limit the practice of venting natural gas from oil and gas equipment and establish leak detection programs across infrastructure.
Through those and other policies, Exxon said, it had reduced methane emissions from its fracking operations by 20 percent since 2016 and was on track to cut those emissions by 15% across its entire system.
Recommended for you
