Texas is investigating why pipeline operator Targa Resources Corp. did not report an unexpected release of tons of natural gas within 24 hours, as required by state regulations.
Targa disclosed the incident two weeks after it happened and eight hours after Bloomberg emailed the Houston-based company a satellite image that appears to show a large cloud of methane near one of the their compression stations in Midland County, Texas. The January 20 incident in the heart of the Permian Basin, the world’s largest shale oil field, was not reported to state regulators until 4:42 p.m. local time on February 3.
Companies operating in Texas must quickly notify regulators when a malfunction results in the release of pollutants more dangerous than permitted by permits. The energy industry is under pressure to control emissions because methane, the main component of natural gas, has a particularly devastating impact on the climate. Fossil fuel companies that cannot control emissions risk a reduced role in the energy transition as buyers increasingly seek producers with cleaner records.
Targa said the January incident happened when the station’s compressors shut down unexpectedly due to a broken belt, according to its February filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. To prevent a dangerous build-up of pressure, safety valves released gas directly into the atmosphere between 10:13 and 13:33.
The release coincided with the timing and location of two satellite observations that appeared to show methane escaping from near the company’s Germania compressor station. The US Geological Survey’s Landsat 8 satellite observed a gas plume at 11:21 a.m. and the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite detected a launch at 11:36 a.m., according to Kayrros SAS. The geoanalytical agency estimated the emission rate of the plume at 21 metric tons per hour.
Targa said in a statement to Bloomberg that it released 10 tons of methane during the repairs. This is equal to the short-term climate impact of the annual emissions of more than 150 US cars. Targa did not answer additional questions, including why it did not initially report the event to regulators.
Owners and operators of regulated entities in Texas must submit initial notifications to the state regulator within 24 hours of discovery if an emissions event exceeds reportable amounts. Final reports must be submitted within two weeks.
The investigation into the Targa incident is ongoing, the Texas regulator said in a statement. “Based on the results of an investigation of a reportable incident, the TCEQ may take enforcement actions when necessary against regulated entities which may include the assessment of a penalty.”
In the United States, operators will face fines from the Environmental Protection Agency through rules that take effect next year if their methane emissions exceed limits, with an initial fee starting at $900 per metric ton
Targa is the second fossil fuel operator to disclose emissions containing methane to regulators after Bloomberg shared satellite images with the companies that appear to show emissions of the powerful greenhouse gas near its assets.
New approaches to processing high-resolution observations from public satellites allow scientists to detect and attribute methane emissions much more precisely. The invisible, odorless gas has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide during its first 20 years in the atmosphere and is responsible for about 30% of Earth’s warming since the Industrial Revolution . Halting methane emissions could do more to slow climate change than almost any other measure.
This isn’t the first time Targa has faced scrutiny over its emissions. When a polar blast hit Texas two years ago, causing widespread power outages and mechanical failures, many industrial facilities burned or released large amounts of hazardous gases as they shut down. The worst culprits were two gas processing plants run by Targa that accounted for nearly 20 percent of the state’s total pollution during the freeze, according to analysis of state records by Air Alliance Houston, Environment Texas and Environmental Defense Fund.
Although in rare cases deliberate releases of energy operations may be necessary to relieve pressure and avoid a potential explosion, many intentional releases can be prevented through rigorous maintenance and equipment upgrades.
