Certifying Production
for ESG Excellence
Chesapeake’s multi-basin portfolio and our employees’ technical expertise primes the company to play a leadership role in delivering certified volumes of responsibly sourced gas (RSG) to users around the world.
RSG is natural gas produced by companies that meet independently assessed and verified ESG standards, including air emissions monitoring and reduction requirements.
In 2021, we announced several partnerships to certify our natural gas as responsibly produced according to strict standards and independent verification, showcasing our commitment to ESG excellence. These voluntary certifications also emphasize our pursuit of stringent, continuous operational improvement that reduces social impacts and further propels our methane and GHG intensity reductions across all our natural gas assets.
Chesapeake was the first producer to announce our intention of certifying production as RSG across two major basins.
With RSG as part of our portfolio, Chesapeake can also attract fuel purchasers interested in adding certified natural gas in their requests for proposal. While a positive RSG rating may allow gas suppliers to charge a premium, that’s not the primary driver for Chesapeake. Instead, the company believes RSG is an important step to minimizing our environmental footprint in communities where we operate and further reducing emissions as we work to meet our goal of achieving net zero direct GHG emissions by 2035.
RSG Certification Programs
| IES TrustWell™ Certification (Project Canary) | MiQ | Equitable Origin’s EO100™ Standard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Description | A brand mark for the RSG market, comparable to a LEED™ rating for a building; captures and stores environmental data in real-time providing RSG buyers with validation of emissions performance | A certification based on methane emissions performance | A set of rigorous performance standards to measure energy development |
| Certification Criteria | Water, air, land and community considerations | Methane intensity, company practices, methane detection and monitoring | 46 criteria across 5 impact areas (corporate governance and ethics; social impacts, human rights and community engagement; Indigenous Peoples’ rights; occupational health and safety and fair labor standards; and environmental impacts, biodiversity and climate change) |
Through Chesapeake’s partnership with MiQ and Equitable Origin, we’ll be the first to certify production across two major shale basins. As another benefit, MiQ certification will provide a verified approach to tracking Chesapeake’s commitment to reduce methane intensity across our natural gas assets and will support the company’s net zero GHG emissions goal by 2035. The certifications rely on supplied company data and policies, which we assure through a third-party organization.
“Chesapeake is committed to protecting the country’s natural resources and reducing its environmental footprint. We look forward to working with them and MiQ to help them bring that commitment to life through independent certification.”
– Soledad Mills, Equitable Origin CEO
RSG Certification Progress to Date
| Marcellus Shale | Haynesville Shale | |
|---|---|---|
| Asset Breakdown | 100% natural gas | 100% natural gas |
| Methane Monitoring Technology | Continuous monitoring technology installed on greater than 50% of pad locations, representing more than 50% of our production | Continuous monitoring technology installed on greater than 50% of pad locations, representing more than 50% of our production |
| TrustWell™ Certification | Pilot program (2 pad locations) | Pilot program (2 pad locations) |
| MiQ | Certifying entire asset by the end of 2Q 2022 | Certifying entire asset by YE 2021 |
| EO100™ Standard | Certifying entire asset by the end of 2Q 2022 | Certifying entire asset by YE 2021 |
As of November 30, 2021
To be most effective and efficient in adopting RSG certification, we’re beginning with our natural gas assets. In the future, it’s our intention to apply RSG-related key learnings and technology to our oil assets for continuous improvement across our portfolio.
