PureWest Energy, LLC (“PureWest”), a leading Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)-focused independent natural gas producer with operations in the Rocky Mountain region, today announced an agreement with United Energy Trading, LLC and Pierce Transit to provide its first-ever scope 1 and 2 carbon neutral, certified Responsibly Sourced Gas (“RSG”) in the country.
United Energy Trading, LLC, a Green-E Certified company and physical supplier of carbon neutral gas, is proud to partner with Pierce Transit, which has embraced the clean air benefits of compressed natural gas (CNG) for more than 35 years and has been recognized by the Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program for its commitment to using cleaner, alternative fuels. Today, 80 percent of Pierce Transit buses operate on CNG, 13 percent are hybrid-electric, 5 percent are battery electric and just 2 percent are diesel. While operating the majority of its buses on CNG offers environmental benefits over traditional fuels, there is still an environmental impact. Transitioning its CNG fleet to this new fuel source means 80 percent of Pierce Transit’s buses will be running on certifiably carbon neutral RSG. By using carbon neutral RSG, Pierce Transit’s carbon reduction will equal a reduction of 101,370 pounds of coal burned or 230,496 miles driven by an average car each year.
Responsibly Sourced Gas is natural gas that Project Canary, an independent evaluator, has verified as meeting the highest standards and practices to minimize its environmental footprint through the Project Canary TrustWell RSG certification. PureWest’s Platinum Certified “TrustWell” RSG involves a rigorous audit and field evaluation by Project Canary of PureWest’s stewardship with respect to air, land, water and the community, including safety practices, and the continuous and independent monitoring of methane emissions at the well pads. United Energy Trading will physically deliver PureWest’s market-leading clean natural gas to Pierce Transit to help meet the transportation and sustainability goals of Washington State’s second largest county. Purchase of the RSG has been bundled with high-quality, certified and registered offset credits for the remainder of the carbon emissions.
“UET is committed to providing Pierce Transit with renewable energy options. Doing things sustainably is not new to us. Our years of experience across the energy spectrum has guided our success in the clean energy space. Today, UET is proud to be a disruptive leader in the new energy frontier. Since 2021, UET has been a carbon footprint offset company, running 100 percent of our business on renewable energy, and we want to help our customers manage their emissions as well. Through diligent logistics and ecological carbon management programs, we are committed to making the world a better place.” said Thomas Smith, President of UET.
“This unique partnership further accelerates our commitment to being an industry leader in delivering lower carbon energy solutions,” said PureWest CEO Chris Valdez. “We look forward to supporting Pierce Transit’s sustainability goals and ensuring the cleanest and most reliable natural gas is available to drive progress.”
Last quarter, PureWest received a platinum rating for 90 of its wells on two pads through the independent evaluation company, Project Canary. Through its comprehensive evaluation of PureWest’s operations, Project Canary found that PureWest represents their “best-in-class” tier, which comprises the top 10% of peers. PureWest also received the “Low-methane Verified Attribute Rating” on the certified wells and conducts continuous and independent monitoring of methane emissions at the well pads. PureWest’s 2020 methane intensity rate was 0.04% based on data reported to EPA, which was reduced from 0.12% as reported in 2019. PureWest, Wyoming’s top natural gas producer, plans to certify an additional 779 wells on 38 pads by the end of 2021. Robust and defensible carbon offsets have been procured to cover the remaining scope 1 and 2 emissions. “Pierce Transit is thrilled to be a national leader in the transit industry by transporting our customers using carbon neutral, responsibly sourced, natural gas fuel,” said Pierce Transit CEO Mike Griffus. “Our agreement with United Energy Trading and PureWest enables Pierce Transit to balance the needs of our customers with a responsible, lower-carbon energy supply.”
Uplift Energy Strategy and United Energy Trading served as brokers to secure Pierce Transit’s purchase of PureWest’s RSG.
About United Energy Trading
United Energy Trading, LLC is a fully integrated energy marketing and logistics organization with operations throughout the continental United States and Canada. UET purchases, transports, and/or sells a wide array of energy products throughout North America. UET specifically sells environmentally friendly products such as Carbon Offset Green Gas, RNG, RSG, Renewable fuels, Carbon Offsets, and RECs and is experiencing significant growth in this area as consumers more widely embrace Green Energy and the positive impact it has on the environment.
United Energy Trading, LLC
Richard Greenwell, Direct of Gas Marketing
rgreenwell@uetllc.com, 202.618.3738
About PureWest
PureWest Energy, LLC is a private energy company focused on developing its long-life natural gas reserves in the Pinedale and Jonah Fields of Wyoming’s Green River Basin. PureWest controls more than 126,000 gross (115,000 net) acres in and around the prolific Pinedale and Jonah Fields. Additional information is available at PureWest.com.
PureWest Energy, LLC
Kelly Bott, SVP – ESG, Land & Regulatory
kbott@purewest.com, 303.645.9809
About Pierce Transit
Pierce Transit improves people’s quality of life by providing safe, reliable, innovative and useful transportation services that are locally based and regionally connected. Founded in 1979, Pierce Transit is a nationally recognized leader in the public transportation industry. Pierce Transit covers 292 square miles of Pierce County with roughly 70 percent of the county population. Visit PierceTransit.org to learn more.
Pierce Transit
Rebecca Japhet, Communications Manager
rjaphet@piercetransit.org, 253.377.5436
