LongPath Technologies Leads in State & Federal Regulatory Approvals for Quantifying Methane Leaks from Oil and Gas

BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LongPath Technologies is the first emissions monitoring technology to be approved by both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) for use as an Alternative Approved Instrument Measurement Method (Alt. AIMM) in Colorado. Building off LongPath's accuracy in quantifying emissions rates proven in peer-reviewed METEC blind testing (see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.8b06259) and advanced work practices, LongPath is the only continuous and quantitative monitoring solution to receive approval to meeting the Colorado's Regulation 7 emissions monitoring requirements for oil and gas methane leaks, aside from OGI camera approaches.

In addition to the landmark regulatory approval in Colorado, LongPath has been approved for New Mexico's ALARM, or Advanced Leak and Repair Monitoring, program, allowing the patented continuous emissions detection and quantification technology to be used for carbon accounting in that state. LongPath also meets the Continuous Monitoring criteria outlined in the EPA's proposed supplemental methane rule standards of performance for oil and gas facilities.

The draft EPA Methane Rule and Colorado's Air Quality Control Commission Regulation 7 require regular equipment inspections for methane leaks across all new and existing oil and natural gas production and compression facilities. Colorado's Regulation 7 requirements are among the most stringent in the nation for identifying and repairing leaks of the potent greenhouse gas methane.

LongPath's approvals by Colorado and New Mexico allow oil and gas operators to use continuous and quantitative methane emissions monitoring, a more effective and efficient means for leak mitigation than time-consuming and costly manual checks imposed by existing rules. Increasingly, regulatory standards, reporting rules, certified and differentiated gas standards and international protocols for sustainably produced gas are prioritizing valid quantification and continuous monitoring for oil and gas leaks, which can occur spontaneously across the millions of distributed assets that produce, process and transport fuels. These leaks can contribute substantially to global greenhouse gas emissions and undercut operational efficiencies for the industry.

"As a Colorado operator, we know the importance of continuous air monitoring," said Brad Rogers, Environment, Health, and Safety Manager for Bayswater. "LongPath is leading the way by securing the ability for operators to use innovative new technologies to handle leak detection and repairs. This technology provides Bayswater quantitative and continuous emissions data to help meet our regulatory needs at the state and federal levels."

"In our commitment to reducing air pollution and improving operators' response time to emissions, we are working with companies like LongPath to implement innovative technology solutions that can even more effectively monitor emissions and reach our clean air goals," said Michael Ogletree, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Air Pollution Control Division.

LongPath Technologies is a leading provider of scalable technology to continuously monitor and quantify methane emissions. LongPath systems are uniquely flexible and allow operators to tailor measurement frequency, quantification rigor, detection thresholds, and alert modality to match facility types, operational goals, and budget constraints. Each LongPath system offers flexible ranges of coverage, from a single site to 20+ sites across 20 square miles. LongPath is the only solution to provide operators with real-time, actionable insights via quantification and equipment-level localization capabilities vetted through a peer-reviewed blind-tested methodology. Recent aggregated METEC results from Colorado State University ADED tests reveal that other continuous monitoring approaches using point sensors and cameras are not able to provide reliable quantification, whereas peer-reviewed results from LongPath's blinded trials at METEC demonstrate high accuracy for emission rate quantification and leak-location pinpointing.

"We at LongPath are incredibly proud of the work we have done to prove out the validity and utility of our methane emissions data and work practices. Together, they allow operators to maximize the efficiency of their operations and meet regulatory compliance and protocol standards. We are confident that no matter what protocols or rules come down the pipeline, from OGMP 2.0 to the evolving federal regulations, this system will be able to provide compliance-proven, high-quality data at the lowest cost for the market," said LongPath's CEO, Ian Dickinson.

"We are grateful for the time and energy that the state of Colorado and EPA spend on careful evaluation of alternative technologies under the Alt. AIMM program," said LongPath co-founder Caroline Alden. "Their attention to detail and timely review process ensures that high quality information on leaks and facility malfunctions can be used to keep our communities safe while also keeping regulations up to date with current technological innovations. As a Colorado-born company, LongPath is proud of this approval!"

Founded in 2017, LongPath is the first company to leverage long-range laser systems to achieve dramatic cost reductions and accuracy improvements for continuous greenhouse gas emissions monitoring. In addition to applications in energy, LongPath's technology addresses emerging GHG monitoring markets including agriculture, waste management, mining, and urban monitoring.

SOURCE LongPath Technologies, Inc.