Canada is an International Leader in Methane Emissions Reductions: CAPP

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - May 26, 2017) - The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) welcomes Environment and Climate Change Canada's proposed commitment to reduce further methane and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions in the oil and natural gas sector, but disagrees with the federal government's assessment Canada needs to "catch up" with environmental policies in the United States.

Canada is a leader in reducing methane emissions in the energy industry and the oil and natural gas sector strives to improve its performance as technology and innovation evolve by continuously working with regulators, government and stakeholders.

CAPP supports an approach to methane that provides a regulatory driver for continual performance improvement in new development and enables funding for clean technology to address existing facilities to meet economically-achievable thresholds. The oil and gas industry recognizes the role it plays in environmental stewardship and has committed to reduce methane emissions by 45 per cent from 2012 levels by 2025. Both British Columbia and Alberta have strict regulations on flaring, venting and fugitive emissions from upstream facilities that serve as models of success for other jurisdictions domestically and internationally.

Industry believes through its relationships with regulators, government, and stakeholders it can deliver action on climate change while realizing the economic benefits the oil and natural gas sector bring to the national economy.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers quotes: Terry Abel - executive vice president

• "Canada is a leader in reducing methane emissions in the oil and natural gas sector. We are in a position of strength to move ahead by advancing cost-effective technology to reduce emissions."
• "Canada's oil and natural gas industry has been outperforming other jurisdictions such as
  North Dakota, Colorado and California for methane emissions reductions. We are confident that we will reduce emissions by 45 per cent from 2012 levels by 2025."
• "Our industry's objective is to decrease the overall intensity of emissions over time through innovation and the consistent development and application of technology."
• "We recognize the opportunity for more methane reductions and have been addressing this by working with government and regulators to improve performance on new and existing facilities."

Supporting information

• British Columbia and Alberta have regulations on flaring, venting and fugitive emissions from upstream facilities, which serve as models for other jurisdictions.
• In Alberta, environmental regulations cut the amount of natural gas flared by 80 per cent from 1996 to 2010, reducing GHG emissions by more than eight million tonnes.
• In B.C., regulations will eliminate flaring at wells and production facilities this year.
• Industry in B.C. has achieved a 23 per cent reduction in annual flare volumes since 2006, the baseline year, according to the B.C. Oil and Gas Commission.
• Total gas flaring accounts for less than two per cent of GHG emissions in B.C.
• Industry and the governments of Alberta and B.C. are investigating the feasibility of carbon capture and storage to further reduce emissions from the sector.
• Natural gas is the cleanest-burning fossil fuel. Used in power generation, it emits 50 per cent fewer GHGs than coal and emits far fewer pollutants.
• Canada's oil sands producers are investing more than $1.33 billion on 936 technologies, innovations and best practices through Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) to find solutions to reduce greenhouse gases, minimize impacts on land, and reduce water use.

The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) represents companies, large and small, that explore for, develop and produce natural gas and crude oil throughout Canada. CAPP's member companies produce about 80 per cent of Canada's natural gas and crude oil. CAPP's associate members provide a wide range of services that support the upstream crude oil and natural gas industry. Together CAPP's members and associate members are an important part of a national industry with revenues from crude oil and natural gas production of about $120 billion a year. CAPP's mission, on behalf of the Canadian upstream crude oil and natural gas industry, is to advocate for and enable economic competitiveness and safe, environmentally and socially responsible performance.