PG&E Expands Greenhouse Gas Reduction Commitment by Joining EPA’s Methane Challenge

Today, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) furthered its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by joining the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Natural Gas Methane Challenge as a founding partner, joining with 40 other U.S. companies. This voluntary program, aimed at reducing emissions from the oil and gas industry, aligns with PG&E’s goals to deliver safe, reliable and clean energy resources to its customers.

“At PG&E we have taken an aggressive stance on combatting climate change and we embrace initiatives that encourage the industry to seek out new and innovative ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our commitment to addressing climate change is an integral part of our business and our overall efforts to provide customers with safe and clean energy now and for future generations,” said PG&E’s Gas President Nick Stavropoulos.

The Natural Gas Methane Challenge calls on oil and natural gas companies to voluntarily reduce methane emissions beyond regulatory requirements, and to highlight these efforts in a comprehensive and transparent manner. As part of the Challenge, PG&E has committed to further reduce emissions from its natural gas transmission and distribution systems and will adopt five best management practices recommended by the EPA over the next five years. The best management practices focus on mitigation and improvements to venting, transmission blowdowns, pneumatic controllers, rod packing and excavation damages.

“The Natural Gas Methane Challenge is an integral part of the EPA’s and the Administration’s ongoing commitment to address methane emissions and global climate change,” said Janet McCabe, Acting Assistant Administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation at the EPA. “We are pleased that PG&E is stepping up to join this effort as a founding partner, committing to technologies, strategies, and practices, to reduce their emissions and setting the example of a more sustainable path for their peers.”

As a dedicated partner in the EPA’s Natural Gas STAR Program, PG&E has supported the program since 2008 and worked to reduce greenhouse gasses, including methane, by making investments in infrastructure, modernizing its gas systems and by using next generation technologies. PG&E has also led efforts to improve transparency and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions. The Carbon Disclosure Project, an international not-for-profit organization, named PG&E to the S&P Climate Disclosure Leadership Index in recognition of the company’s perfect 100 score on its disclosure of emissions data.

In 2015, PG&E formed an external advisory council to help guide the company’s sustainability efforts. The council provides input and recommendations to PG&E as it seeks to address climate change and advance its clean energy, environmental stewardship, economic development and community vitality initiatives.

In 2014, the White House named PG&E as one of five natural gas utility partners nationwide "collaborating to address key technical and regulatory factors affecting methane emission reduction opportunities from natural gas distribution systems." PG&E also supported the Obama administration’s push for a strong international agreement on climate change, and signed on to the Administration’s American Business Act on Climate initiative, which was aimed at rallying U.S. companies behind the need for action on climate change.

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.

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