QEP is committed to minimizing its impact on air quality, while continuing to meet the energy demands of our nation. We report emissions through the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program and air emissions from production activities are carefully monitored, managed, and reported so they remain within prescribed state and federal limits.
QEP operates in an environmentally responsible manner, continuing to find efficiencies and technological advancements – such as reduced drilling times, green completions, dual-fuel systems, and electrification – that will enable us to reduce our emissions even further. Some additional examples include the following:
- We use green completions best practices to promote cleaner air and improve operational efficiencies. Green completions capture methane during the initial phase of flow back from hydraulic fracturing operations, thereby minimizing flaring, reducing emissions and allowing us to sell more gas.
- Whenever possible, oil and produced water are transported from facilities to pipeline. Doing so eliminates emissions from truck loading operations at the facilities and has the added benefit of reducing highway traffic and the risk of accidents. It also improves local air quality by eliminating emissions from truck engines and road dust.
- Efficiency improvements in the drilling and completions process reduce industry emissions. When wells are drilled and completed faster and more efficiently, we experience a decrease in total field (life of project) and per-well emissions.
- Wherever possible, we use compressed air as the supply gas for pneumatic controllers.
- We have implemented the use of optical gas imaging (infrared cameras) for our operations. Equipment is inspected when placed into service and as-needed thereafter, in accordance with applicable regulations and best management practices. In addition, audio, visual, and olfactory inspections are used to detect fugitive emissions from equipment leaks. These inspections are conducted whenever operators or personnel are at the facilities.
- We utilize centralized production facilities, which brings multiple producing wells into a single facility. This gives QEP the economies of scale to install advanced emission control and automation equipment to prevent hydrocarbon and water releases. Centralized facilities also reduce surface impact compared to single well facilities.