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Four ways EPA methane rollbacks threaten American natural gas

By: Ben Ratner / Wed, Sep 25, 2019 11:37 AM

At the behest of the American Petroleum Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to eliminate nationwide limits on methane pollution, sending America’s natural gas industry backwards to the days of uncontrolled emissions. This dangerous proposal threatens the climate, the communities living near oil and gas development and the increasingly vulnerable status of American natural gas in a transition to a net-zero carbon emission economy.

Any business depends on four fundamentals to operate successfully: demand from customers, acceptance from society at large, financial capital to invest and talent to do the work. America’s natural gas industry is no different.

Eliminating methane standards would increase risk to each part of this foundation, making this proposed rollback a prime opportunity for risk-conscious executives and investors to speak out this fall. Read more

Risky business: When corporations fund climate denial

By: Victoria Mills / Tue, Jul 23, 2019 9:47 AM

Corporate America is making important strides in addressing climate change. Almost 600 companies have joined the Science-Based Targets Initiative, nearly 200 have committed to use 100% renewable energy and companies are increasingly investing in technologies that improve environmental outcomes.

Applying technology to sustainability is a win-win for business and profit

By: Tom Murray / Fri, Jul 19, 2019 10:47 AM

This week, business executives, tech entrepreneurs, and investors met in Aspen, Colorado at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2019 conference. This annual gathering brings movers and shakers together to discuss the latest tech trends and how businesses can find a competitive edge in a fast-paced marketplace. From retail to transportation to entertainment, technology advances are changing every industry, and knowing where the trends are heading can mean the difference between Netflix and Blockbuster. Read more

Poultry Sustainability Guide holds the keys to sustainability on the farm and in production

By: Theresa Eberhardt / Tue, Jul 9, 2019 10:35 AM

We eat a lot of chicken. I see this just from my own family’s consumption of barbecue chicken at our July 4^th cookout last week; but consumption trends also show that demand for chicken is steadily increasing among Americans.

Eating chicken instead of other meats is perceived to be the more eco-friendly choice – as poultry has a smaller environmental footprint overall. However, poultry processing is actually very energy-intensive.

Rhetoric to reality: What to watch after oil executives’ Vatican visit

By: Ben Ratner / Fri, Jun 28, 2019 2:56 PM

Earlier this month, more than 30 oil and gas CEOs and investors captured headlines by meeting with Pope Francis in the Vatican on climate change, then releasing a statement supporting carbon pricing. What is clear from this high-profile event is that the climate crisis has become a societal imperative, an investor priority, and a top tier business risk for the oil and gas industry.

What the world’s largest provider of oilfield services has to say about innovation and regulation

By: Aileen Nowlan / Fri, Apr 5, 2019 6:58 PM

Something you don’t hear every day: oil and gas methane regulations can reinforce innovation and leadership. Numerous new methods to reduce oil and gas methane emissions are being developed; and regulators, environmentalists, oil companies and innovators are working together to craft a new way for innovation to be recognized and rewarded.

I interviewed Drew Pomerantz of Schlumberger, the world’s largest provider of oilfield services, about what new methods and technologies are available to reduce oil and gas methane emissions, what their impact might be, and what is needed to realize that potential.

Investors Urge Companies To Support Methane Regulations. Are They Listening?

By: Kate Gaumond / Thu, Apr 4, 2019 5:21 PM

Over the past few weeks, companies like BP, Equinor, Exxon and Shell have publicly stated their support for direct federal regulation of methane. It is not every day that a company will ask for more rules rather than less. What’s one of the driving forces behind these public position reversals? Investors.

Investors have been an important pressure point in moving these companies to their new policy positions, and they continue to wield their influence to encourage more companies to join.

EDF and ExxonMobil discuss technology and regulation to reduce methane emissions

By: Ben Ratner / Wed, Mar 13, 2019 10:26 AM

Since 2017, ExxonMobil has expanded its U.S. methane leak detection program, committed to its first global methane target, supported methane monitoring technology innovation and encouraged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate methane emissions at new and existing sources. Although Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) and ExxonMobil are not always aligned on certain important issues, the organizations are working together to understand and reduce methane emissions. Ben Ratner, senior director with EDF+Business, sat down with Matt Kolesar, regulatory manager at ExxonMobil’s XTO Energy affiliate, to discuss the company’s perspective on why methane is such a key issue for the industry and how technology and regulation can accelerate industry’s progress.

Climate pollution can spark more tech innovation. Really.

By: Aileen Nowlan / Tue, Mar 5, 2019 6:59 PM

Methane has made quite an entrance into climate science in the last few years.

Though long recognized as a potent greenhouse gas – more than 80 times as powerful as carbon dioxide in the short term – its significance in our battle against climate change has only recently been quantified. The oil and gas industry, for example, is among the largest emitters of methane on the planet, and research (including some by EDF scientists) has documented that far more methane seeps out of wells, pipelines, valves and other points in the oil and gas supply chain than energy companies and official emission inventories report.

What the World Needs Now? Spotify for Sustainable Supply Chains

By: Elizabeth Sturcken / Thu, Feb 28, 2019 11:25 AM

Businesses today are taking basic services and turning them into well-designed, convenient user-friendly experiences. You see it every day with companies like Spotify and Seamless. Or Netflix, which is suggesting I watch The Great British Baking Show, based on my family’s viewing-history.

Now, imagine the possibilities if we applied this business model to sustainability.

The Supply Chain Solutions Center does just that. Launched today in partnership with over 10 leading environmental NGOs, this innovative platform puts resources and expert advice at the fingertips of sustainability professionals.