Hart Energy Quotes Chris Treanor on Certifying Natural Gas

Hart Energy has quoted Akin Gump public law and policy counsel Chris Treanor for its article “Natural Gas Certification Question: Which Standard Should be Standard?” The article, drawn from comments at a recent Hart Energy panel on energy ESG, looks at the needs for higher production of natural gas and for certification of methane emissions.

Treanor, who served on the professional staff for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, is quoted on how standardized methane emissions measurement could help the U.S. lead in the energy transition. He said, “I think all of it moves towards just creating a situation in which the gas industry can actually be part of the climate solution. I don’t want to be Pollyannaish about it, but I do see it as a long-term positive in order to help convince policymakers, not just in the United States but abroad, that U.S. natural gas is truly as clean as we claim it to be.”

He noted, however, that it appears unlikely that the government will be moving toward standardization, saying that it is paying attention but staying out of it for now to see how the market develops. Treanor added, “Many of us want to see that standard right now so we know what it is and it’s easy for us to make calculations and it’s easier for investors to know exactly what they’re getting but the reality is that competition needs to play out and it’s probably going to take some time.”

He added that letting the market work and figure out certification standards on its own will be to everyone’s benefit in the end: “If Washington gets overly involved right now, it would only be bad.”