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 aimed for 100% facility compliance with all permit requirements and emissions limitations, and we reviewed 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 our operational air emissions and maintain historical data inventories in compliance with relevant state and federal regulations and 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. The Air Quality team within the EHS department handles air quality permitting, compliance, and reporting. The Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility (PPCR) Committee of our Board of Directors (Board) and our management-led Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Committee guide our environmental program. 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, compressor station, or other operating 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 affect our emissions profile while proactively working with Operations personnel to verify that permits are in place prior to field construction.
Our Air Quality team periodically inspects worksite locations to evaluate compliance with air quality permits and meets with state regulators to confirm alignment with state air quality regulations. We maintain an open dialogue with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), 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.
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 send emissions reports and, in some cases, permit compliance certifications to applicable regulatory authorities, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and to applicable states.
Electrifying Our Frac Fleet
In alignment with our focus on decreasing completion costs and minimizing environmental impact, we use electric (in lieu of diesel) hydraulic fracturing (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 over 24 million gallons of diesel fuel from our operations during 2024 and several thousand water-hauling truck runs. Using onsite natural gas to power our frac fleets enables us to reduce local air emissions for some pollutants, decrease our carbon footprint, reduce trucks on the road, and capture proven operational efficiencies. We estimate that our use of electric frac fleets during 2024 reduced our annual carbon footprint by approximately 70,000 metric tons (MT) of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
Leak Detection and Repair Program
Our investment in leak detection and repair (LDAR) surveys has been one of the most significant investments we have made to reduce emissions releases. Beyond compliance with robust state and federal requirements on air emissions, our LDAR program involves the following:
- Use of optical gas imaging (OGI) technology at all compressor stations, dehydration facilities, and well sites to conduct LDAR surveys and mechanical integrity inspections of conventional wells to inspect leaks on a quarterly basis;
- Operation of gas detection cameras by a certified team of 13 EQT employees who have completed a 3-day training course;
- Use of two types of OGI cameras, all verified by the manufacturer to meet the U.S. EPA’s LDAR requirements under the EPA’s New Source Performance Standards for the Oil and Natural Gas Industry;
- Remote gas detection monitors inside the gas processing units of our unconventional wells that monitor for leaks in real-time and automatically alert our gas control center to assign a specialist to conduct an inspection when necessary;
- Use of fixed gas monitors in each separator housing, which identify leaks in real time and automatically alert our gas control center to assign a specialist for a follow-up inspection; and
- Leak repairs conducted as soon as reasonably possible.
Our standard practice exceeds state and federal requirements related to leak repair procedures, and we routinely upgrade our management system to better track leak repairs at our sites. Additionally, we implemented an initiative beginning in the fourth quarter of 2022 to survey each of our sites using OGI cameras on a quarterly basis. The number of components with leaks in relation to the number of surveys conducted continued to decrease going from 23% in 2023 to 16% in 2024.
Leak Detection and Repair Metrics[1]
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024[2] |
| Total OGI surveys | 1,257 | 5,456 | 5,219 |
| Total leaking components | 569 | 1,259 | 823 |
| Components repaired immediately (within 1 day) | 172 | 456 | 327 |
| Components repaired within 2 to 15 days | 381 | 669 | 387 |
| Components repaired after 15 days | 16 | 134 | 109 |
[1] Metrics only include OGI survey data.
[2] 2024 Leak Detection and Repair Metrics include data for the Equitrans Assets for the full calendar year. The Equitrans data do not include Subpart W transmission leak survey results. OGI may be used for transmission leak surveys, but repair dates for any potential leaks on this equipment are not tracked in the same manner as OGI surveys used to comply with New Source Performance Standards leak survey requirements.
How We Are Doing
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. Our 2024 air emissions and emissions intensities increased compared to 2023 due to the addition of the Equitrans Assets.
Absolute Air Emissions[1]
| Metric | Unit of Measure | 2022 | 2023 | 2024[2] |
| Nitrogen oxides | kilograms | 1,763,284 | 3,148,365 | 3,842,571 |
| tons | 1,944 | 3,470 | 4,236 | |
| Sulfur oxides | kilograms | 7,998 | 16,315 | 30,125 |
| tons | 9 | 18 | 33 | |
| Volatile organic compounds | kilograms | 556,280 | 909,515 | 1,055,528 |
| tons | 624 | 1,003 | 1,164 | |
| Hazardous air pollutants | kilograms | 74,267 | 124,287 | 237,926 |
| tons | 82 | 137 | 262 | |
| Particulate matter | kilograms | 50,355 | 116,918 | 201,564 |
| tons | 55 | 129 | 222 | |
| Carbon monoxide | kilograms | 848,422 | 1,551,288 | 1,811,610 |
| tons | 935 | 1,710 | 1,997 | |
| Formaldehyde | kilograms | 50,769 | 71,920 | 122,048 |
| tons | 56 | 79 | 135 |
Air Emissions Intensities (Air Emissions [tons]/Gross Production of Hydrocarbons [BCFE])[3]
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Nitrogen oxides | 0.95 | 1.52 | 1.79 |
| Sulfur oxides | <0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
| Volatile organic compounds | 0.31 | 0.44 | 0.49 |
| Hazardous air pollutants | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.11 |
| Particulate matter | 0.03 | 0.06 | 0.09 |
| Carbon monoxide | 0.46 | 0.75 | 0.85 |
| Formaldehyde | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.06 |
Bcfe: Billion cubic feet of natural gas equivalent
[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] The 2024 absolute air emissions data includes emissions for the Equitrans Assets for the full calendar year.
[3] 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.
