A Note from Highwood’s CEO, Thomas Fox
Over the past two weeks, Highwood attended three conferences: The Eurogas Methane Emissions Conference (Brussels), the ONE Future Methane & Climate Strategies Workshop (Norfolk, VA), and the PTAC Methane Leadership Summit (Banff, AB). It was striking how different each conversation was. In Brussels, basically the only topic was the EU Methane Regulation. In Banff, it was hard to talk about anything other than domestic federal and provincial regulations. In Virginia, conversations were more varied but focused on data centers and MAC curves. Interesting that the urgency and concern in Brussels on EUMR was not also at the top of the agenda for methane events in North America. Will urgency increase among producers that supply the EU now that it’s clearer that the rule is going forward?
EPA Eases Methane Regulation Requirements
The U.S. EPA has finalized a reconsideration of its 2024 methane rule for oil and gas operations, introducing limited revisions aimed at reducing regulatory burden. The changes focus on two technical areas: requirements for temporary flaring of associated gas and continuous monitoring of vent gas heating value for flares and combustion devices. (Read more)
EU Signals Flexibility on Methane Rules
The European Commission is preparing to introduce greater flexibility in how methane import requirements are implemented, amid concerns that strict rules could disrupt oil and gas supplies. Relaxations are proposed to ensure stable energy supply, including changes to tracing emissions across complex supply chains, emphasis on tracking gas back to individual wells, and penalties for non-compliance. (Read more)
Analysis Finds EU Methane MRV Costs Are Modest
A new analysis finds that compliance with monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) requirements under the EU Methane Regulation is relatively modest in cost. The study estimates that full MRV implementation would represent approximately 0.03%–0.6% of production value for assessed producer types, with costs highest during early implementation and declining over time as systems mature. (Read more)
ONE Future Abatement Cost Study
ONE Future has released a new marginal abatement cost curve (MACC) study evaluating methane mitigation across the U.S. natural gas value chain, based on a decade of member data and external research. The study identifies additional opportunities for cost-effective emissions reductions, particularly in production and midstream segments, and highlights continued deployment of methane mitigation technologies across member operations. (Read more)
Nigeria Issues Upstream Policy Update
Nigeria’s upstream regulator (NUPRC) has issued a new announcement related to oil and gas activity under the Petroleum Industry Act framework. The update reflects ongoing efforts to support methane abatement investment, directing operators to report with IPCC Tier 3 methodologies by 2027. (Read more)
Model for Tracking Cleaner Natural Gas
A new Colorado School of Mines, The Payne Institute for Public Policy, commentary explores the use of environmental attribute tokens to track and transact natural gas based on emissions intensity. The approach links digital tokens to specific gas volumes, embedding data alongside associated measurement inputs and methodologies. The report highlights how such systems could enable traceability and support emerging markets for differentiated gas. (Read more)
Green LNG in Southeast Asia
A new ASEAN Centre for Energy analysis examines “green LNG” as a transitional option in Southeast Asia. The report highlights the region’s continued reliance on fossil fuels (about 84% of energy supply) and emphasizes that reducing methane across the LNG value chain requires improved emissions inventories and mitigation. The study states that 84% of the region’s emissions could be addressed at net negative cost. (Read more)
New Episode Dropped: #MondayMorningMethane
Every episode, Thomas Fox sits down with someone doing interesting work on methane and asks the questions you would ask if you had an hour with them. Episode 29 is out with Shivani Shukla and Linnan Cao, Climate Policy Research Fellows at Berkeley Law, featuring a discussion on the Subnational Methane Action Coalition (SMAC), a growing group of jurisdictions across six continents taking action on methane while their national governments stall. The conversation explores how AI and machine learning are helping jurisdictions build measurement-informed inventories, the one policy thread that keeps showing up regardless of geography or sector, and why waiting for the perfect inventory is the fastest way to make no progress at all. (Watch now)
Highwood Research Digests: Research, Digested
The peer-reviewed methane literature does not stop, and almost nobody has time to keep up with it. Meet the Research Digests: our team reads the studies so you don’t have to and distills everything you need to know into a summary you can get through in less than 5 minutes. Research Digest 018 is out now, with a new LiDAR quantification error model, what happens to emissions when operators lose access to continuous monitoring data (they climb by more than 60%), a first-pass global inventory of abandoned wells, and new satellite-derived emissions estimates across six major basins. (Read Now)
Highwood: Connect With Us at Upcoming Events
We are talking methane at an event near you. You can find us speaking, exhibiting, or connecting at these events:
Methane Mitigation Technology & Innovation World Summit: The Woodlands, TX, June 2-4, 2026
SPE International Health, Safety, Environment, and Sustainability Conference and Exhibition: Abu Dhabi, UAE, September 7-9, 2026
