Methane Capture & Reclamation
More than 3.2 million wells in the US are abandoned, unplugged, and potentially leaking methane.
In addition to methane, a greenhouse gas responsible for 25% of the rise in global temperatures since the start of the Industrial Revolution, these wells emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that pose health dangers to nearby communities. Methane from unplugged wells may also infiltrate and pollute local groundwater supplies and soils.
Read our Protocol here.
The BCarbon Methane Capture and Reclamation (MCR) Protocol defines the technical approach to certifying carbon credits for the plugging of leaking abandoned & orphan oil and gas wells in the US and Canada. The process of receiving credits under this Protocol is summarized in the graphics below.
Supplementary material
The following spreadsheets are described in the Appendices of the Protocol and are used to calculate the number of credits a potential project may produce.
This checklist outlines the materials Project Developers should include with their project submission.
Have questions?
Click here to access the slides from our January 2024 MCR Webinar describing the credit calculation and application processes, as well as the implications of EPA’s 2023 methane rule on voluntary well plugging.
Thanks to the BCarbon MCR Subcommittee and ALL Consulting for their contributions to the development of this Protocol.
Apply:
Submit a Letter of Intent.
Meet with BCarbon for pre-consultation.
Fill out an Application and complete our Checklist.
For additional support, see our Guidance for applicants and our Example Project Walkthrough.
Sources/further reading: Reuters; NASA; DiGiulio et al 2023; Johnston et al. 2020; Buto et al. 2010; McMahon et al. 2018