BigGasPolluters.org, a coalition that includes the Gas Leaks Project and Earthworks, was launched in May 2024 to hold oil and gas producers accountable and track the industry’s methane claims and actions. Nearly a year later, BigGasPolluters’ (BGP) first annual update of the site’s interactive database reveals several key, albeit worrying, insights.
When BGP was first released, we found that just over half (51) of the 100 largest onshore oil and gas producers in the United States hadn’t established any public goal for reducing their methane pollution. But rather than gradually improving with time, we discovered there were actually more companies – totalling 56 – without methane goals today. Meanwhile, evidence suggests that emissions of the super-pollutant from the U.S. fossil fuel industry continue to rise.
Among those without methane emission goals are companies run by politically–connected billionaires leading the charge to weaken common-sense methane pollution rules, two large gas producers purchased by Japanese utility conglomerates, and numerous operators owned by wealthy families or shadowy private equity funds. The list continues, and even includes companies connected to one of the world’s largest financial services companies and America’s biggest renewable energy developer.
At the same time, the past year was also marked by a deluge of eye-popping penalties and settlements for oil and gas polluters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reached a total of 7 settlements with fossil fuel companies concerning alleged Clean Air Act violations from oil and gas production facilities – more than any prior year on record.
In addition to all of the announced EPA settlements, states have also been scrutinizing the fossil fuel industry. The New Mexico Environment Department revealed last July that 75 of 124 facilities inspected with the EPA over a six-month period violated state and federal laws for VOC emissions.
Read more at BigGasPolluters, where you can also explore our database, read our latest insights, and discover which polluters are the biggest and gassiest of them all.
