Today, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) furthered its commitment
to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by joining the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency’s (EPA) Natural
Gas Methane Challenge as a founding partner, joining with 40 other
U.S. companies. This voluntary program, aimed at reducing emissions from
the oil and gas industry, aligns with PG&E’s goals to deliver safe,
reliable and clean energy resources to its customers.
“At PG&E we have taken an aggressive stance on combatting climate change
and we embrace initiatives that encourage the industry to seek out new
and innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our commitment
to addressing climate change is an integral part of our business and our
overall efforts to provide customers with safe and clean energy now and
for future generations,” said PG&E’s Gas President Nick Stavropoulos.
The Natural Gas Methane Challenge calls on oil and natural gas companies
to voluntarily reduce methane emissions beyond regulatory requirements,
and to highlight these efforts in a comprehensive and transparent
manner. As part of the Challenge, PG&E has committed to further reduce
emissions from its natural gas transmission and distribution systems and
will adopt five best management practices recommended by the EPA over
the next five years. The best management practices focus on mitigation
and improvements to venting, transmission blowdowns, pneumatic
controllers, rod packing and excavation damages.
“The Natural Gas Methane Challenge is an integral part of the EPA’s and
the Administration’s ongoing commitment to address methane emissions and
global climate change,” said Janet McCabe, Acting Assistant
Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation at the EPA. “We are
pleased that PG&E is stepping up to join this effort as a founding
partner, committing to technologies, strategies, and practices, to
reduce their emissions and setting the example of a more sustainable
path for their peers.”
As a dedicated partner in the EPA’s
Natural Gas STAR Program, PG&E has supported the program since 2008
and worked to reduce greenhouse gasses, including methane, by making
investments in infrastructure, modernizing its gas systems and by using
next generation technologies. PG&E has also led efforts to improve
transparency and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions. The Carbon
Disclosure Project, an international not-for-profit organization, named
PG&E to the S&P
Climate Disclosure Leadership Index in recognition of the company’s
perfect 100 score on its disclosure of emissions data.
In 2015, PG&E formed an external advisory council to help guide the
company’s sustainability efforts. The council provides input and
recommendations to PG&E as it seeks to address climate change and
advance its clean energy, environmental stewardship, economic
development and community vitality initiatives.
In 2014, the White
House named PG&E as one of five natural gas utility partners
nationwide "collaborating to address key technical and
regulatory factors affecting methane emission reduction opportunities
from natural gas distribution systems." PG&E also supported the
Obama administration’s push for a strong international agreement on
climate change, and signed on to the Administration’s American
Business Act on Climate initiative, which was aimed at rallying U.S.
companies behind the need for action on climate change.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco,
with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the
nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.
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