ENHANCING METHANE MONITORING THROUGHOUT THE APPALACHIAN BASIN
Since January 2023, EQT has partnered with other leading U.S. natural gas companies to form the Appalachian Methane Initiative (AMI), a coalition dedicated to enhancing methane monitoring throughout the Appalachian Basin and driving additional methane emissions reductions across the region. AMI aims to improve the efficiency of identifying and addressing potential fugitive methane emissions from operations in the Appalachian Basin by conducting coordinated aerial surveys on a geographic-basis, as opposed to an operator-specific basis, and advance methane monitoring and reporting frameworks. Following the successful completion of a pilot program in 2023, AMI was expanded in 2024 to utilize more than 15,000 aerial surveys across approximately 20,500 square miles of the Appalachian Basin to measure emissions from oil and gas operations as well as other sources, such as coal mines and landfills. In its March 2025 announcement of the 2024 monitoring program results, AMI determined that the Appalachian Basin has the lowest methane emissions intensity of any major oil and gas producing basin in the United States. AMI is mid-way through the 2025 campaign and is on track to monitor more than 32,000 square miles of the Appalachian Basin, including gas production facilities with daily volumes roughly 100% of the daily production within the Appalachian Basin, which is a nearly sixfold increase in volume compared with surveys completed in 2023. The number of non-oil and gas sites surveyed, such as coal mines/vents and landfills, are also anticipated to increase. We use this measurement and monitoring data to compare against emissions values calculated using emissions factors. These results also allow us to identify potential emissions reduction initiatives going forward. Further, we examine potential differences between emissions calculated using emissions factors and measurement or monitoring approaches to determine the best method to prepare annual emissions inventories in the future.