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Natural Gas STAR Program |  |
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| You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader. |
The Natural Gas STAR Program is a voluntary partnership that encourages companies across the natural gas and oil industries to adopt cost-effective technologies and practices that improve operational efficiency and reduce emissions of methane. Methane, the primary component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas 21 times stronger than CO2. To learn more about this successful government-industry partnership program, download the introductory Gas STAR pamphlet. (PDF, 12 pp., 224 KB)
The U.S. natural gas system encompasses hundreds of thousands of wells, hundreds of processing facilities, and over a million miles of transmission and distribution pipeline. All industry sectors, including gas production, processing, transmission, and distribution emit methane to the atmosphere to varying degrees. Methane emissions are generally process-related, with normal operations, routine maintenance, and system upsets being the primary contributors. In 2000, natural gas systems emitted an estimated 116.4 Tg CO2 equivalent of methane.
Follow these links for more information on methane emissions from natural gas systems in the U.S., and international natural gas emissions.
Many available, cost effective technologies and practices can reduce methane emissions from all sectors of natural gas systems. Gas STAR promotes the use of these emission reduction technologies and practices through the program’s Best Management Practices (BMPs) and other Technologies and Practices. For more information on the economic of emissions reduction in the U.S., see Projections & Mitigation Costs. Follow the link for more information on international analysis of mitigation costs from the natural gas sector.
The Program's BMPs were identified through a collaborative process between EPA and natural gas industry. These BMPs are widely applicable to the industry and generally cost effective for most operations. Learn more information about BMPs.
In addition to the BMPs, Gas STAR partners have found many other cost-effective ways of reducing methane emissions. These additional technologies and practices—called PROs encompass additional methane emission reduction activities that Gas STAR partners have implemented beyond the core program BMPs. While some of these practices have been in common practice for many years, in many cases these represent the most innovative, cutting edge methods for reducing emissions. Learn more information about PROs.
Natural Gas STAR partners sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) wherein they agree to evaluate the Program's recommended BMPs for reducing methane emissions and implement them when cost effective for the company. In addition to these BMPs, partners are encouraged to identify, implement, and report on other technologies and practices to reduce methane emissions (referred to as Partner Reported Opportunities or PROs).
Partners develop a customized Implementation Plan (PDF, 28 pp., 500 KB) summarizing how they intend to incorporate the Gas STAR Program into their operations. They then submit Annual Reports to EPA showing what emissions reductions efforts they have undertaken in the prior year. These reports help to create a permanent record of a company’s voluntary reductions, and drive the technology transfer process, thus benefitting all Gas STAR partners.
To assist partners in implementing the Natural Gas STAR Program, EPA draws upon the wealth of partner-provided information and presents its partners with many opportunities to learn about methane emissions reductions technologies and techniques. Resources available to all Gas STAR partners include:
Download the guide to participation in Gas STAR. (PDF, 28 pp., 500 KB)
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