Driller Southwestern Taps Startup to Monitor Gas Emissions
/Shale producer Southwestern Energy Co. has agreed to seek environmental certification for all of its natural gas production, the latest example of how the industry is moving to address concerns about methane escaping into the atmosphere.
Southwestern said in a statement that it will seek to certify its output as “responsibly sourced gas” using independent analysis from Project Canary, a startup that measures greenhouse-gas emissions in real time. Project Canary will analyze the explorer’s wells to verify that they meet certain environmental standards, and it will install emissions monitoring devices at all of the company’s production sites.
The move by Southwestern comes as the energy industry faces unprecedented pressure from shareholders urging companies to meet environmental, social and corporate governance criteria. Investors are pushing oil and gas producers to curb their emissions, and U.S. gas exporters are offering more transparency about each cargo’s carbon footprint.