Invisible plumes and ‘terrible pollution’: the reality of the US gas sites rated ‘grade A’

Exclusive: Guardian investigation into reliability of methane certification issued by MiQ reveals weakness of voluntary model

A rapidly expanding certification scheme run by a UK nonprofit and used by major gas companies may be understating the actual methane emissions it purports to certify, a Guardian investigation has found.

BP, ExxonMobil and EQT are among the producers that have turned to London-based MiQ to demonstrate that their US-produced natural gas complies with the European Union Methane Regulation, or EUMR, which aims to curb energy-related emissions.

Jess Staufenberg contributed additional reporting to this piece. The investigation was supported by Journalismfund Europe and Gas Outlook.