Texas A&M Professors Decry Methane Leaking From University Lands

(Bloomberg) -- Texas A&M University, the alma mater of Energy Secretary Rick Perry and late fracking pioneer George Mitchell, is under pressure from its own professors to cut methane emitted by oil wells that enrich the school’s endowment.

The letter, published Wednesday by Environment Texas, is signed by more than 50 professors. It pledges support for a plan to cut methane emissions by 50% in the next five years from lands and interests overseen by University Lands, which manages them on behalf of an endowment that benefits the Texas A&M and University of Texas systems.

That organization, referred to as UL in the letter, oversees the surface and mineral interests of 2.1 million acres of land in West Texas and leases more than 9,000 oil and gas wells to more than 300 operators, which would make it the fifth-largest oil company in Texas if pooled into one entity, the professors said.

Methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide and the main component of natural gas, is under increasing scrutiny amid growing concerns about climate change. The professors cite studies, including some by A&M researchers, that show methane is often released or escapes into the atmosphere during oil and gas production.

“While greenhouse gas-reducing measures are being practiced on A&M campus, they are being undermined, if not negated many times over, by the methane emissions on UL land,” the letter said. “By simply requiring oil and gas producers to use industry best practices on the land it manages, UL could not only make drastic cuts to current methane emissions, but also establish itself as a worthy extension of A&M’s high standards and commitment to energy innovation and the environment.”

It’s not the first time the Texas universities have faced pressure to curb emissions from oilfield activity that supports their endowment. In 2016, a representative of UT’s student government signed a letter alongside the director of Environment Texas that pressed then-chancellor William McRaven to “implement climate solutions today that can have immediate and meaningful impact.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Rachel Adams-Heard in Houston at radamsheard@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Simon Casey at scasey4@bloomberg.net, Christine Buurma, Carlos Caminada

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