West Virginia-based Northeast Natural Energy (NNE) announced Jan. 20 that it has achieved certification of its natural gas production under the MiQ standard for methane emissions measurement and management.

Having begun the process of seeking independent joint certification through Equitable Origin and MiQ in February 2021, the company became the first U.S. based natural gas producer to achieve EO100 certification in November, 2021, NNE said in a press release.

“We recognize the need for transparency in our operations and embrace the accountability that comes with monitoring and limiting our methane emissions," said Mike John, Northeast Natural Energy CEO.

"We are proud to be a leader in certified natural gas production in the Appalachian basin. The MiQ certification validates the work we do in the field and the effort we are making to manage our methane and greenhouse gas emissions.”

NNE is a privately owned company founded in 2009, headquartered in Charleston, W.Va. with operations focused on dry natural gas production in north central West Virginia.

MiQ, a non-profit partnership between RMI and SYSTEMIQ, is a market-based approach to rapidly reduce methane emissions across the natural gas sector. Its quantitative certification standard—the MiQ Standard —factors in methane intensity, company practices and methane detection. 

“It’s excellent to see another U.S. producer achieve MiQ Certification. NNE can now use this certification to credibly demonstrate the steps it takes to address methane emissions from its production in the Appalachian basin,” said Georges Tijbosch, CEO, MiQ. “We expect to see the market for MiQ certified gas to expand rapidly over the next 12 months and are looking forward to working with NNE and others to solve the crucial problem of methane emissions.