# Presentation: 467657

## Natural Gas STAR ProgramOverview and Accomplishments 

- Producers and Processors Technology Transfer Workshop
- Midland, TX
- July 23, 2008

## Agenda

**Background**
**Natural Gas STAR Program Overview & Highlights**
**Program Resources and Tools**
**Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rulemaking**

## Background

## Current U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimates

**Current U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimates**

**U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions All Sources**

**U.S. Methane Emissions by Sector**

- Oil and gas systems are the **largest **man-made source of methane emissions **(24%)**

**Methane **emissions from** Oil and gas systems** make up **2%** of **total** U.S. greenhouse gas emissions

**2 %**

- Source: EPA. Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 1990 – 2006. April, 2008.

## Oil and Gas Industry Methane Emissions: U.S. & International

- U.S. contributes 11% of worldwide methane emissions from oil and gas systems

*Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 1990 – 2006, *USEPA, April, 2008
*Global Anthropogenic Non-CO**2** Greenhouse Gas Emissions: 1990 – 2020,* USEPA, June 2006* *

**Bcf**

**Notes:**
US consumption: 22.3 Tcf in 2005 (according to EIA); emissions account for 2% of consumption
U.S. oil and natural gas industry methane emissions account for 2% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (346 Bcf annually)
World: 2.8 Tcf (U.S. is 12%)
Russia: 427 Bcf
Middle East: 407
Ukraine: 225
Mexico: 191

## U.S. Oil & Natural Gas Opportunities: Why Gas STAR?

- 323 Bcf of methane emissions per year amounts to:
- $2.26B worth of gas lost (at $7/Mcf)
- CO2 emissions from the electricity use of 17.3 million homes for one year
- Annual greenhouse gas emissions from 23.9 million passenger vehicles
- U.S. oil and gas industry has an opportunity to cost-effectively reduce methane emissions resulting in:
- Increased operational efficiency
- Increased profits
- Increased domestic gas supply
- Improved safety
- Improved environmental performance
- Better public relations

## Overview & Program 
Highlights

- Highlights

## Natural Gas STAR Program

**The Natural Gas STAR Program is a**** *****flexible, voluntary partnership****** *****between EPA and the oil and natural gas industry designed to***** ******cost-effectively****** *****reduce methane emissions from natural gas operations.**

- Over 120 Program Partners across four sectors
- Nine International Partners
- 19 Endorser Associations

## Participation Matters

_**Don’t just check the box:**_ expand on your existing and future efforts to identify and implement new ways to reduce gas losses, save money, and make an impact on the environment
_**Implement robust methods for quantifying leaks and vented emissions:**_ this will only increase in importance over time
_**Report successes to Gas STAR:**_ which is currently the main knowledge base for the industry’s efforts to reduce methane emissions

**The Natural Gas STAR Program only works if our Partners participate. **_**Participation means**_**:**

## 2006 Another Successful Year for Methane Emission Reductions 

- Gas STAR Partners reduced methane emissions by 86 Bcf in 2006
- 577 Bcf in cumulative reductions since 1990

## Natural Gas STAR Partner Accomplishments (1990 – 2006)

- Units in teragrams of CO2 equivalent (TgCO2E)

*Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks 1990 – 2006, *USEPA, April, 2008* *

**Total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions (left axis)**
**U.S. oil & natural gas sector methane**
**Emissions (right axis)**

**Natural Gas STAR Partner Accomplishments (1990 – 2006)**

**U.S. Oil & Natural Gas sector methane emissions are 10% under the 1990 level emissions**

## Natural Gas STAR International 

- Natural Gas STAR International launched September 26, 2006 now has nine partners

## Program Resources and Tools

## Key Components

**Guidance on new technologies & practices**
- Technical documents on over 80 cost-effective technologies and practices
- Free Technology Transfer workshops
- One-on-one technical assistance to identify and prioritize cost-effective methane emission reduction opportunities
**Annual record of Partner voluntary actions and methane savings**

**Technical Information**

**Annual Reports**

**Project**
**Demonstrations**

**Workshops**

## What is Cost Effective?

**87%**

**77%**

**47%**

**Percentage of  over 80 Gas STAR Recommended Technologies and practices at each  payback level**

**The simple payback is the number of years it takes to pay back the capital cost of a project (based on $3/Mcf)**

**1%**

**Payback within 10 years **
**Payback within 3 years**
**Payback within 12 months**
**Immediate payback**

_**Answer:**_** Depends on company specific circumstances.**

## Methane Emission Reduction Technologies & Practices

**Gas Production & Processing**
- Reduced Emission Well Completions
- Install Plunger Lifts on Gas Wells
- Identify, Measure &
- 	Fix Leaks in Processing Plants
- Install Flash Tank Separators on Dehydrators

**Gas Distribution**
- Identify, Measure & Fix Leaks in Pipelines & Surface Facilities
- Inject Blowdown Gas into Low Pressure Mains

*Picture courtesy of  American Gas Association*

**Oil Production**
- Install VRUs on Crude Oil Storage Tanks
- Route Casinghead Gas to VRU or Compressor for Recovery & Use or Sale

**Gas Transmission**
- Identify, Measure & Fix Leaks in Compressor Stations, Pipelines
- Use Pipeline Pumpdown
- Replace High-Bleed Pneumatics

**Notes:**
Apologies that this a somewhat busy slide, but it is a good snapshot of some of the opportunities for methane emission reductions along the oil and gas value chain.

Focusing on methane emissions from oil production, one technology involves installing Vapor Recovery Units (VRUs) on Crude Oil Storage Tanks
Vapors flashed off of crude in storage tanks are typically vented to the atmosphere
VRUs recover such vapors to be used as fuel or sold
VRUs can also be used to capture casinghead gas for sale or use as fuel

## 2008 Technology Transfer Workshops

- Natural Gas STAR will host, with partner organizations, the following Technology Transfer workshops in 2008

- For more information, visit http://www.epa.gov/gasstar/workshops.htm

**Offshore****New Orleans, LA****May 6, 2008**

**Production****Denver, CO****April 29, 2008**

**All Sectors****Huadong, China**
**April 17-18, 2008**

**All Sectors****San Antonio, TX**** Nov 11-13, 2008**

**Production**
**Rock Springs, WY****May 1, 2008**

**Production and Processing****Midland, TX**** July 23, 2008**

**Transmission****Charlotte, NC****June 25, 2008**

## New Tool: Emission Reduction Calculation Guidance

**Guidance for quantifying methane emission reductions from recommended technologies and practices**
- http://www.epa.gov/gasstar/docs/quantifying_ngs_methane_reductions.xls

## Communications Tools/Materials 

**Effort underway to revise and update Gas STAR communications materials and Gas STAR website**
**PowerPoint presentations**
**Program Implementation Guidance**
**Goal: Make the tools and resources more useful and accessible**
**Your feedback is important!**

## Feedback to Partners:Post-Reporting Benchmarking

## Natural Gas STAR “Partner Challenge”

- EPA offers assistance quantifying partners’ methane emissions and corresponding emission reduction opportunities
- Uses customized data
- Quantifies emission reductions and environmental benefits
- Details economic and operational benefits of reduction technologies & practices

## Overview: Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rulemaking 

## GHG Reporting Rulemaking

**What is the 2008 Omnibus ****Appropriations Bill ****(HR 2764)?**
- The 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill (HR 2764) was signed into law in December 2007.  The legislation signed by President Bush authorizes EPA to develop and publish a draft rule to **require mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions above appropriate thresholds in all sectors of the economy **

## Appropriations Language and Legal Authority

**FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Amendment:**
- “... not less than $3,500,000 shall be provided for activities to develop and publish a draft rule _not later than 9 months_ after the date of enactment of this Act, and a final rule _not later than 18 months_ after the date of enactment of this Act, to require mandatory reporting of _greenhouse gas emissions above appropriate thresholds in all sectors_ of the economy...”
**Legal Authority:**
- Sections 114 and 208 of the CAA allow for data collection and measurement and recordkeeping from stationary or mobile related sources
- Appropriations language provides EPA with $3.5 million in FY 2008 to develop proposed & final rules

## Purpose and Scope

**Objective(s) of the Program – to provide data that will inform and support development of national climate policy**
**Scope of Coverage**
- Define gases- “...to require mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas emissions”
- CO2, CH4, N2O, HFC, PFC, SF6
- Both upstream and downstream sources- “The Agency is further directed to include in its rule reporting of emissions resulting from upstream production and downstream sources...”
- Upstream:  Fuel and Chemical producers/importers (e.g., oil refineries, natural gas processors, HFC producers)
- Downstream:  GHG emitters (e.g., power plants, iron and steel plants, cement manufacturers

## Purpose and Scope cont.

**Areas of flexibility:**
- Emissions threshold:  “The Administrator shall determine appropriate thresholds of emissions above which reporting is required...”
- Frequency of Reporting:  “...and how frequently reports shall be submitted to EPA”
**Methods:**
- “The Administrator shall have discretion to use existing reporting requirements....”
- Build on methods from existing mandatory and voluntary reporting systems
- Federal reporting programs- e.g., Title IV, Climate Leaders, 1605(b)
- State Programs- e.g., California, The Climate Registry, RGGI, other state programs
- Corporate Programs- e.g., WRI/WBCSD
- Industry Protocols- e.g.,  API Compendium, CSI Protocol (cement), International Aluminum Institute

## Timing and Process	

- Proposed rule by September 2008, final rule by June 2009
- An ambitious timetable but we will work towards these deadlines
- EPA welcomes stakeholder input and plans to reach out to stakeholders
- EPA will involve agency and interagency expertise
- Have already worked extensively with interagency counterparts on measurement and reporting issues (e.g., US GHG inventory, IPCC guidelines)

## Contact Information

- Jerome Blackman
- 	202-343-9630
- 	_[blackman.jerome@epa.gov](mailto:blackman.jerome@epa.gov)_
- Carey Bylin
- 	202-343-9669
- 	_[bylin.carey@epa.gov](mailto:bylin.carey@epa.gov)_
- Roger Fernandez
- 	202-343-9386
**	**_**[fernandez.roger@epa.gov](mailto:fernandez.roger@epa.gov)**_
- Suzie Waltzer
- 	202-343-9544
- 	_[waltzer.suzanne@epa.gov](mailto:waltzer.suzanne@epa.gov)_
- www.epa.gov/gasstar
- www.methanetomarkets.org