Is methane the new gold? Are more aggressive requirements to capture methane from oil production and distribution a costly regulatory obstacle or a new profit center hidden in plain sight? Proposed legislation in Colorado can provide an opportunity to test the economic benefits of more aggressive emissions capture, plug the hole in the hydrocarbon emissions control bucket, and find common cause between industry and environmentalists. Panelists include Amory Lovins, cofounder, Chief Scientist, and Chairman Emeritus of Rocky Mountain Institute; advisor to major firms and governments worldwide on energy strategy and advanced energy efficiency, Alice Madden, the Getches Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy & the Environment at Colorado Law School, , and Wiley Rhodes, founder of One Step In Foundation.
The oil and gas industry routinely flares and releases unexpectedly large amounts of methane gas, a major greenhouse gas culprit, despite emergent regulations. Yet the business opportunities from capturing those emissions and turning them into value could be worth tens of billions of dollars a year. Such business-led, market-driven methane abatement would also create large and rapid environmental benefits. Join industry and regulatory experts in a 90-minute webinar addressing the basis for this issue and action-based paths forward in Colorado to address it.