Accelerated Methane Reduction

Designing a Future Interdisciplinary and Shared Research Agenda to Understand the Role of Methane Reduction in the Energy Transition

Designing a Future Interdisciplinary and Shared Research Agenda to Understand the Role of Methane Reduction in the Energy Transition

In North America and across the globe, energy systems are under strain as supply struggles to keep pace with demand. Data center developers, manufacturers, utility companies and the economies of Asia and Europe – among many other stakeholders – are scrambling to find secure and affordable energy sources due to infrastructure bottlenecks and geopolitical threats.

In this new reality, a promising source of additional energy has emerged: Natural gas that is currently being wasted in the form of fugitive methane emissions.

The Payne Institute for Public Policy created the Accelerated Methane Reduction Initiative to connect the world-class expertise of the Colorado School of Mines with global conversations about natural gas, energy security, affordability and climate change.

IMPACT

In the U.S. oil and gas sector, capturing wasted natural gas could meet one-third of the anticipated needs from new data centers by 2030.

Globally, flaring reduction and other methane mitigation efforts could boost the supply of natural gas by around 200 billion cubic meters per year – or double the amount of LNG imported by China in 2025.

In addition to these wins for energy affordability and security of supply, capturing wasted natural gas in the form of fugitive methane emissions can make a powerful difference in the fight against climate change.

Eliminating methane emissions across global oil and gas supply chains would have the same climate impact as converting every car and truck in the world to run on zero-carbon sources of electricity.

Mines and the world

The Payne Institute extends to public policy Mines’ conviction that energy and the environment must– and can – fruitfully coexist. We are in an enviable position to tap into a deep well of on-campus and alumni leaders in industry and environmental groups around the world. We foster collaboration with a focus on problem-solving rather than furthering entrenched agendas.

COLORADO

Colorado has been at the forefront of establishing regulations for the oil and gas industry and working in a coherent inclusive manner between the industry and other stakeholders. That form of broad engagement based on science should continue. It will serve to both evolve the discussion in the state and at the local level, but also serve as a lodestar for the national and global discussion.

For more information about the Accelerated Methane Reduction Initiative at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, please contact our Deputy Director, Gregory Clough, at gclough@mines.edu.

NEWS

End of the Uncontested Sea: The Strait of Hormuz is a Trap 4/20/2026

End of the Uncontested Sea: The Strait of Hormuz is a Trap

Payne Institute Senior Research Fellow Jahara Matisek and Director Morgan Bazilian write about the Strait of Hormuz does not need to be shutdown to wreak havoc on the global economy. It has already become unreliable – and those repercussions will be longed live.  April 20, 2026.

Colorado Is Emerging As An Energy Innovation Hub 4/12/2026

Colorado Is Emerging As An Energy Innovation Hub

Colorado School of Mines has long been admired for its work in the energy industry through top-ranked programs in geology, mining engineering, petroleum engineering, materials science, chemical engineering, and others.  It has also led training in cross-disciplinary areas with the Payne Institute for Public Policy and a new Energy and Minerals Research Facility expected to open next year in partnership with the US Geological Survey.  April 12, 2026.  

Ras Laffan LNG Thermal Profiles Suggest an Operational Shift at Multiple Trains 4/10/2026

Ras Laffan LNG Thermal Profiles Suggest an Operational Shift at Multiple Trains

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Research Associate Mikhail Zhizhin and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how a new VIIRS Nightfire analysis indicates that several sources in the Ras Laffan LNG cluster may contain both compressor and flare emissions within a single satellite pixel, with March 2026 observations pointing to a possible change in operating regime.  April 10, 2026.

Tracking and Transacting Clean Natural Gas: Operationalizing Environmental Attribute Tokens 4/7/2026

Tracking and Transacting Clean Natural Gas: Operationalizing Environmental Attribute Tokens

Payne Institute Student Researcher Liam O’Byrne and Energy Finance Lab Program Director Brad Handler write about how there is an emerging need for companies to track and disclose the carbon intensity of the natural gas and other fossil fuel-based products they buy. For producers of these fuels, documenting carbon intensity, at least at scale, requires systems that standardize, which the financial services industry can leverage to create new markets.  April 7, 2026.

Mines Energy Research Magazine 4/6/2026

Mines Energy Research Magazine

The Payne Institute is featured in the Energy Issue of the Mines Research Magazine which highlights how Mines stands at the center of the energy conversation. We integrate education, research and industry partnerships to spur innovation and prepare adaptable, forward-thinking talent to lead what’s next in the domestic and international energy workforce.  April 6, 2026.

Kharg Island Refinery VIIRS Nightfire Temporal Profiles 4/1/2026

Kharg Island Refinery VIIRS Nightfire Temporal Profiles

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Director Christopher Elvidge writes about how the behaviour of the flares at three refineries on Kharg Island. Two out of three were affect by the war which started on February 28. One site began to have gaps in detections, with only five in the past month. Another site exhibits a large increase in the source area of the flares. April 1, 2026.

Recent War-Time Changes in Upstream Gas Flaring Across the Middle East Observed by VIIRS Nightfire 3/24/2026

Recent War-Time Changes in Upstream Gas Flaring Across the Middle East Observed by VIIRS Nightfire

Payne Institute Earth Observation Group Research Associate Mikhail Zhizhin and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how a change detector for the most recent steps in flaring regime since 1 January 2025 was applied to 2,225 upstream flares identified by VIIRS Nightfire across the Middle East.  March 24, 2026.  

The Iran War Just Exposed America’s Hidden AI Chokepoint: Helium 3/23/2026

The Iran War Just Exposed America’s Hidden AI Chokepoint: Helium

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Senior Research Fellow Jahara Matisek, and Macdonald Amoah write about how to deal with helium shortages from the war in Iran, Washington must treat helium as strategic, coordinate with allies, build redundancy, and incentivize recovery technologies.  March 23, 2026.

Read All News