Appalachian Methane Initiative (AMI)
A coalition addressing the methane challenge by deploying comprehensive multi-scale methane monitoring systems in one of the largest oil and gas fields in the United States.
About AMI
The Appalachian Methane Initiative (AMI) is a collaborative effort among major U.S. natural gas operators to monitor and mitigate methane emissions in the Appalachian Basin, one of the largest oil and gas fields in the United States. The AMI coalition partnered with the Energy Emissions Modeling and Data Lab (EEMDL) at the University of Texas at Austin to lead the scientific efforts on collecting and interpreting large-area, multi-scale methane emissions monitoring campaign. The project was managed by SLR International Corporation (SLR).
The scientific objectives of the Appalachian Methane Initiative include:
Developing facility-level, measurement-informed emissions inventory estimates that integrate measurement data with operational information to improve the accuracy of emission inventories.
Reconciling emissions estimates derived from top-down and bottom-up measurement approaches.
Reconciling measurement-informed emissions inventory with operator reported emissions inventory estimates (e.g., EPA greenhouse gas reporting program).
Understanding contributions from and temporal variability in major methane emissions sources in the region including coal mines and landfills.
Lessons from the Appalachian Methane Initiative 2025 Campaign
2nd Annual Report – Results from the Multi-scale Methane Measurements in the Appalachian Basin
AMI Footprint
The Appalachian Methane Initiative (AMI) began in 2023 as a pilot project that brought together a coalition of operators to undertake comprehensive methane emissions measurement across the Appalachian Basin. In 2024, this pilot project expanded to a significant fraction of oil and gas assets in the basin as well as a majority of coal mines and landfills. 2024 represented the first, site-level, large-scale aerial campaign in the region and revealed key insights on the spatial and temporal distribution of methane emissions.
The 2025 AMI measurement campaign is the largest ever survey of methane emissions in the Appalachian basin. Key operators involved in the effort include four AMI members - CNX Resources, EQT Corporation, MPLX, and Seneca Resources - as well as two data-contributing operators, Ascent Resources and Expand Energy Corporation. Through this campaign, we covered approximately 31,800 square miles encompassing 98% of total daily gas production from the basin. Multiple measurement methods including equipment-level, site-level, and region-level aerial measurements were deployed for independent emission assessment. Analysis of the 2025 dataset reveals that the Appalachian basin represents one of the lowest emitting natural gas basins in the US with a gas production normalized loss rate of 0.52%. These measurements, coupled with detailed causal mechanism analysis from the operator, enable rapid detection and mitigation of methane emissions, and represents a unique collaborative model of sustainable energy production.
Questions?
For questions, please contact Arvind Ravikumar at arvind.ravikumar@austin.utexas.edu.
For inquiries on collaborative projects with EEMDL, please contact eemdl@utexas.edu.