Workshop on Regulatory Options for Methane Mitigation in Mexico’s Oil and Gas Sectors

The Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) and Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supported the National Agency for Safety, Energy and Environment of Mexico (ASEA) to develop the regulations and standards necessary to limit methane emissions from the recently opened oil and gas sector.

A key first step in providing this support, CCAP and CATF organized and facilitated a workshop in Mexico on September 8, 2016 geared towards sharing international best practices to limit methane emissions and evaluating how these examples might fit the Mexican context. Participants included Mexican policy makers from SENER, SEMARNAT, ASEA, INECC, CNH and CRE, as well as experts on oil and gas regulation from Alberta, Canada, the U.S. states of California and Colorado, and representatives from Environment and Climate Change Canada and the U.S. Department of Energy.

From a climate standpoint, Mexico’s Special Program for Climate Change (PECC) and Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) set specific reduction targets for methane and other Short Lived Climate Pollutants. Moreover, the Mexican government recently committed to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40-45 percent by 2025. ASEA’s new regulations and standards will help Mexico meet these commitments.