Statement: Utah gas settlement advances methane transparency and customer protections

Environmental Defense Fund, Utah Clean Energy, the Utah Division of Public Utilities and the Utah Office of Consumer Services negotiated a settlement involving Enbridge Gas as Wexpro's proposed acquisition of the Piceance III natural gas properties in the Piceance Basin of Northwest Colorado. The agreement includes commitments such as increasing transparency in methane emissions reporting and evaluating the economic benefits of reducing leaks and exploring ways to lower customer costs.

“Reducing methane leaks prevents waste, makes economic sense and cuts harmful climate pollution,” said Veronica Ung-Kono, Attorney, U.S. Clean Energy at Environmental Defense Fund. “This settlement takes important steps to reduce wasted gas, improve transparency and strengthen long-term planning. It also creates opportunities to lower energy costs for Utah families and businesses. We look forward to turning these commitments into meaningful progress.”

“Utah has a long history of moving towards more affordable, reliable, and clean energy solutions, and this settlement makes meaningful progress on each of those priorities,” said Dr. Logan Mitchell, Climate Scientist and Regulatory Manager at Utah Clean Energy. “Improving energy efficiency and analyzing the costs and risks of methane leakage are two tools that can support other important priorities in Utah: energy affordability, informed energy system planning, and reducing wasteful methane leakage to slow near-term climate warming.”

Learn more in our blog post here.