Topic Highlights
We regularly inspect worksite locations to evaluate air quality compliance and meet with state regulators to confirm alignment with state air quality regulations. We strive for 100% facility compliance with all permit requirements and emissions limitations and review any operational incidents and notices of violation with our personnel to identify areas of improvement.
In 2023, we:
- Conducted inspections and audits to review compliance obligations and improve our operations.
- We aim for 100% facility compliance with all permit requirements and emissions limitations, and we review any operational incidents and notices of violation with our personnel to identify areas of improvement.
what we are doingWhat We are Doing
Non-greenhouse-gas (GHG) air emissions associated with our fleet, onsite equipment, and other aspects of our operations can affect local air quality. We work with regulators, communities, and other stakeholders to decrease our impact and reduce local air emissions where possible. We monitor and track our operational air emissions in compliance with relevant state and federal regulations and maintain historical data inventories in compliance with regulatory standards. Across our operations, we use data to inform new and improved technologies that may lead to more efficient processes and reduction of local air emissions. For information related to GHG emissions, see Operational GHG Emissions.
Governance
Our Director, Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) manages our environmental program and oversees all aspects of our environmental footprint. Our environmental program is guided by the Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility (PPCR) Committee of our Board of Directors and our management-led Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Committee. The Air Quality team, within the EHS department, handles air quality permitting, compliance, and reporting. The PPCR Committee receives quarterly reports on environmental progress such as emission reports, notices of violations, and strategic initiatives directed at improving our emissions profile.
Permits and Monitoring
Prior to construction or operation at a new well site location, we obtain air quality and other operational permits. When we receive a new permit, our Operations group reviews the permit to identify all future compliance responsibilities. Field operations personnel complete field site job plans which include our permit requirements. We track emissions, obligations, limits, and other air quality requirements with dashboards and other tools within our digital work environment. The Air Quality team monitors several field indicators for operational changes that could impact our emissions profile while proactively working with Operations personnel to verify that permits are in place prior to field construction.
Electrifying Our Frac Fleet
In alignment with our focus on decreasing completion costs and minimizing environmental impact, we utilize electric hydraulic fracturing (frac) fleets (in lieu of diesel frac fleets) for a substantial portion of our hydraulic fracturing operations. Natural-gas-fired turbines that use EQT-produced, onsite natural gas power our electric frac fleets.
Our use of electric frac fleets eliminated approximately 15 million gallons of diesel fuel from our operations during 2023 and several thousand water hauling truck runs. Using onsite natural gas to power our frac fleets enables us to reduce local air emissions, decrease our carbon footprint, reduce trucks on the road, and capture proven operational efficiencies. We estimate that our use of electric frac fleets during 2023 reduced our annual carbon footprint by approximately 43,000 MT of CO2e.
How We are Doing
Audits and Reporting
We conduct inspections and audits to review compliance obligations and improve our operations. Our Corporate Audit group periodically selects internal programs or processes to audit. After review of findings, we apply lessons learned to similar facilities via a “Plan-Do-Check-Act” cycle of continuous improvement.
Where required, we submit emissions reports and, in some cases, permit compliance certifications to applicable regulatory authorities. We submit annual emissions reports to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and we report relevant emissions to applicable states.
Inspections and Benchmarking
Our Air Quality team periodically inspects worksite locations to evaluate air quality compliance and meets with state regulators to confirm alignment with state air quality regulations. We maintain an open dialogue via a quarterly meeting with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Southwest Regional Office to discuss upcoming regulations, permit applications, operations improvement opportunities, and additional relevant matters. We participate in a network of industry and regulatory groups to stay abreast of emerging regulations. Our EHS department conducts internal inspections of our facilities and sites and field personnel perform periodic leak detection and repair inspections, as described in Operational GHG Emissions.
We benchmark our air emissions against our peers to identify potential improvement areas and evaluate our primary sources of internal emissions across our operating regions. We share best practices through our engagement in The Environmental Partnership and Our Nation’s Energy Future (ONE Future).
We aim for 100% facility compliance with all permit requirements and emissions limitations, and we review any operational incidents and notices of violation with our personnel to identify areas of improvement. We use stack test data, manufacturers’ data, and published emissions factors to calculate our air emissions.
Significant Air Emissions[1]
| Metric | Unit of Measure | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Production Segment Emissions | ||||
| Nitrogen oxides (NOX) | kilograms | 1,190,863 | 1,597,793 | 2,774,130 |
| tons | 1,313 | 1,761 | 3,058 | |
| Sulfur oxides (SO2) | kilograms | 4,952 | 6,853 | 10,069 |
| tons | 5 | 7 | 11 | |
| Volatile organic compounds (VOC) | kilograms | 1,148,169 | 447,537 | 563,510 |
| tons | 1,266 | 493 | 621 | |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAP) | kilograms | 86,165 | 37,203 | 61,744 |
| tons | 95 | 41 | 68 | |
| Particulate matter (PM) | kilograms | 100,525 | 45,544 | 99,540 |
| tons | 111 | 50 | 110 | |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | kilograms | 535,940 | 771,938 | 1,324,336 |
| tons | 590 | 850 | 1,460 | |
| Formaldehyde | kilograms | 1,301 | 6,883 | 27,718 |
| tons | 1 | 7 | 31 | |
| Gathering and Boosting Segment Emissions | ||||
| Nitrogen oxides (NOX) | kilograms | 158,469 | 165,491 | 374,234 |
| tons | 175 | 183 | 413 | |
| Sulfur oxides (SO2) | kilograms | 738 | 1,145 | 6,246 |
| tons | 1 | <1 | 7 | |
| Volatile organic compounds (VOC) | kilograms | 162,899 | 118,743 | 346,005 |
| tons | 180 | 131 | 381 | |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAP) | kilograms | 47,814 | 37,064 | 62,543 |
| tons | 53 | 41 | 69 | |
| Particulate matter (PM) | kilograms | 10,544 | 4,811 | 17,378 |
| tons | 11 | 5 | 19 | |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | kilograms | 63,218 | 76,484 | 226,952 |
| tons | 70 | 85 | 250 | |
| Formaldehyde | kilograms | 34,836 | 43,886 | 44,202 |
| tons | 38 | 49 | 49 | |
AIR EMISSIONS INTENSITIES (AIR EMISSIONS[TONS]/GROSS PRODUCTION OF HYDROCARBONS[BCFE])[2]
| Metric | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
| Production Segment Emissions Intensities | |||
| Nitrogen oxides (NOX) | 0.60 | 0.86 | 1.34 |
| Sulfur oxides (SO2) | <0.01 | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Volatile organic compounds (VOC) | 0.58 | 0.24 | 0.27 |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAP) | 0.04 | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 0.27 | 0.42 | 0.64 |
| Formaldehyde | <0.01 | <0.01 | 0.01 |
| Gathering and Boosting Segment Emissions Intensities | |||
| Nitrogen oxides (NOX) | 0.08 | 0.09 | 0.18 |
| Sulfur oxides (SO2) | <0.01 | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Volatile organic compounds (VOC) | 0.08 | 0.06 | 0.17 |
| Hazardous air pollutants (HAP) | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.03 |
| Particulate matter (PM) | 0.01 | <0.01 | 0.01 |
| Carbon monoxide (CO) | 0.03 | 0.04 | 0.13 |
| Formaldehyde | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 |
[1] We use the EPA’s Subpart W emission calculation methodologies for criteria pollutants. Additionally, we do not utilize continuous monitors for our air emissions, but rather begin with a representative gas analysis. The gas analysis begins at the site level. If site level data is not available, we utilize township and county gas analyses to determine the significant air emissions across our operation segments. We leverage site or equipment specific emissions factors. When estimates are used to calculate our significant air emissions, we follow the approach mentioned above; however, when estimates are not available, we base air emissions estimates on conservative operations hours.
[2] Our intensity metrics are calculated based on emissions emitted divided by gross production of hydrocarbons (billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent). While there is no standard formula for calculating emissions intensity, we believe gross production (as opposed to net production) is the most accurate representation for calculating emissions intensity because gross production is a measure of the actual volume of hydrocarbons produced from the wells we operate.
