Colorado Energy Organizations Launch First-of-its-Kind Responsibly Sourced Natural Gas Partnership

DENVER, March 11, 2021 /3BL Media/ – A Colorado natural gas producer, an infrastructure operator and local municipal utility have entered into a first-of-its-kind Responsibly Sourced Gas (RSG) pilot project with Project Canary, a Denver-based B-Corp focused on providing continuous emissions monitoring data and technologies across the energy sector. The unique wellhead to burner-tip RSG pilot extends across the energy value chain – from production, transportation and marketing of RSG – for consumer and community use locally in Colorado.

The pilot project will consist of the following: Colorado Springs Utilities, a municipal utility in one of the state’s largest and fastest growing regions, will purchase certified RSG produced by Bayswater Exploration & Production, a Colorado-based oil and natural gas development company. The certified RSG will be gathered and processed by Rimrock Energy Partners, a provider of midstream services in the DJ Basin, before being delivered to Colorado Interstate Gas Company, a Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) subsidiary, which will transport the certified RSG to Colorado Springs Utilities.

As a member of the ONE Future Coalition, Kinder Morgan is part of a group of companies working to voluntarily reduce methane emissions across the natural gas value chain to 1% or less by 2025. Project Canary will provide technologies, data monitoring to measure methane emissions, and independent RSG certification.

“Project Canary’s solution dramatically transforms how companies measure environmental performance by combining real-time, on-site monitoring with trusted, independent verification and analysis,” said Project Canary Co-Founder and CEO Chris Romer. “Sustainability progress in the energy space is evolving rapidly and this exciting pilot project builds upon Project Canary’s unique position in the marketplace of delivering meaningful data-driven solutions.”

Project Canary has partnered with nearly two-dozen large exploration and production, pipeline, and utility companies and deployed its technology across 100 different well pads, including in Colorado, where the state has nation-leading on-site emissions monitoring regulations.

“This partnership will allow us to further diversify our energy portfolio and expand our commitment to environmental stewardship,” said Colorado Springs Utilities CEO Aram Benyamin. “This is the first of its kind pilot project in the nation and I’m proud to say we are at the forefront of exploring this newly-evolving Responsibly Sourced Gas market.”

Project Canary applies science, technology and data in providing real-time, continuous air emissions monitoring and through its TrustWell™ certification process, independently reviews, verifies and scores over 300 engineering and operational aspects of natural gas production and delivery categories including air, water land and community. These independent data sources provide trusted RSG certification.

“This partnership with Project Canary allows us to demonstrate that we responsibly develop clean natural gas by using real-time, continuous emission monitoring data along with operational best practices,” said Bayswater Exploration & Production President and CEO Steve Struna. “Stakeholders are looking to companies to enhance transparency regarding operations. At Bayswater, we have great confidence in the integrity of our field operations and aspire to continuously improve performance and minimize environmental impacts. This win-win partnership enables us to produce both oil and natural gas resources in an environmentally responsible manner while attracting new customers and markets.” 

Bayswater has continuous monitoring on over 90 percent of its Colorado production and will aim to attain TrustWell™ certification of “Gold” or better for Weld County operations contributing to the pilot project. Kinder Morgan will transport gas purchased by Colorado Springs Utilities from Bayswater through its Colorado Interstate Gas Company pipeline.

“Kinder Morgan has worked with Colorado Springs Utilities for over 90 years to provide reliable and affordable natural gas to communities and businesses in Colorado,” said Kinder Morgan Natural Gas Pipelines Commercial Vice President Will Brown. “We are excited to be part of this industry-led pilot as we evaluate new opportunities to responsibly deliver low-carbon energy for the benefit of the people, communities and business we serve.”

“We recognize the importance of sustainable and reliable midstream services to our customers and community stakeholders and are proud to play a part in the low carbon transition,” said Josh Cruzan, CEO of Rimrock Energy Partners. “Rimrock looks forward to making a positive impact in the gathering, processing, and marketing of RSG.”

# # #

Project Canary, an International Environmental Standards company based in Denver, Colorado, is a mission-driven B-Corporation accountable to a double bottom line of profit and the social good. Project Canary believes it is possible to create a financially successful, self-sustaining business that “does well and does good.” Project Canary’s goal is to mitigate climate change by helping the oil and gas industry operate on a cleaner, more efficient, more sustainable basis. Its proven solutions provide real-time emissions monitoring and rigorous independent certification of oil and gas well sites for responsible operations. Project Canary / IES solutions help energy companies Collect, Manage, Operationalize and Benefit from real-time environmental data. Project Canary partners with the Colorado School of Mines Payne Institute to develop a collaborative environment for oil and gas companies and external parties to share best practices and insights garnered through continuous monitoring. To learn more, visit www.projectcanary.com

Colorado Springs Utilities: For generations, Colorado Springs Utilities has provided electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater services to the Pikes Peak region.  As a community-owned utility, its customers enjoy competitive prices, exceptional hometown service, responsible environmental practices and a voice in how their utility operates.  To learn more, visit https://csu.org/

Bayswater Exploration & Production, LLC.: A private oil and natural gas exploration and development company employing multiple best-in-class practices focused on emission reductions and committed to responsible energy development and the belief that the development of oil and natural gas resources and the stewardship of a pristine, sustainable environment are not mutually exclusive.  To learn more, visit https://bayswater.us/

Kinder Morgan: Kinder Morgan, Inc. (NYSE: KMI) is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. Access to reliable, affordable energy is a critical component for improving lives around the world. We are committed to providing energy transportation and storage services in a safe, efficient, and environmentally responsible manner for the benefit of people, communities and businesses we serve. We own an interest in or operate approximately 83,000 miles of pipelines and 144 terminals. Our pipelines transport natural gas, refined petroleum products, crude oil, condensate, CO₂ and other products, and our terminals store and handle various commodities including gasoline, diesel fuel chemicals, ethanol, metals and petroleum coke. For more information, please visit www.kindermorgan.com.

Rimrock Energy Partners: Connecting North America’s energy basins to energy markets by aligning Integrity, Opportunity, Innovation and a Commitment to Excellence. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Rimrock’s asset base is positioned for continued expansion in the ever-growing North American energy market. For more information, please visit: https://rimrockenergy.com/

Contacts: 

Project Canary
Chris Romer
Co-Founder and CEO
chris.romer@projectcanary.com

Colorado Springs Utilities
Natalie Watts
nwatts@csu.org

Bayswater:
Steve Struna
President and CEO
sstruna@bayswater.us

Kinder Morgan
Lexey Long
Media Relations
newsroom@kindermorgan.com

Rimrock Energy Partners
Cale Stacy
c.stacy@rimrockenergy.com