Because methane breaks down quickly in the atmosphere, reducing it now is the fastest way to slow warming over the next two decades; a methane emergency hand-break that must be pulled to provide the chance to stay within climate’s planetary boundaries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) underscores the urgency: “Strong, rapid, and sustained reductions in methane emissions are critical to limiting near-term warming.”
Yet one emissions source remains largely overlooked: orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells, many of which continue leaking methane long after oil and gas production ends.
The Hidden Super-Emitters Beneath Our Feet
Project-developer Rebellion Energy Solutions’ field teams, representing more than 200 years of experience, have measured methane emissions from more than 3,000 orphaned wells across the U.S., revealing a wide spectrum of climate impact:
- Some wells release only trace levels.
- Others leak tens or hundreds of standard cubic feet of methane per hour (scf/hr).
- And a small but increasingly documented group approaches or exceeds 3,750 scf/hr — the EPA’s threshold for defining a methane super-emitter event.
- These wells are often undocumented, unmonitored and unaddressed. Without intervention, they can leak for decades, accelerating near-term warming and posing risks to nearby communities and ecosystems.
A Science-Based Approach to Eliminating Methane at the Source
Rebellion focuses on identifying, plugging and monitoring orphaned wells to permanently eliminate
methane emissions. The work rests on these pillars:
Rigorous Measurement
Extended baseline testing ensures emissions are stable and representative — a crucial requirement for accurate quantification.
A Conservative Forecasting Framework
Rebellion’s Certainty in Forecasting Policy applies petroleum-engineering decline curve analysis to ensure emissions estimates decrease over time. This prevents over-crediting and strengthens environmental integrity.
Engineered to Ensure Permanence
Rebellion’s engineered plugging approach is designed to ensure permanent methane abatement, even in wells with complex subsurface conditions. Carbon credits are issued only after wells are verified as non-leaking under the ACR’s orphan-well methodology. This combination of measurement, conservative forecasting and durable plugging provides confidence that the methane eliminated is real, conservative and permanent.
High-Integrity Methane Abatement in Practice: Heartland 3
Rebellion’s Heartland 3 project recently received issuance from the ACR, demonstrating meaningful progress in high-integrity methane abatement. The project reflects:
- Verification before crediting: Credits are only issued after wells are confirmed non-leaking.
- Alignment with leading buyers: Designed to meet expectations for additionality, durability, and
rigorous monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV).
- Portfolio co-benefits: Methane abatement delivers near-term climate benefit alongside long- term carbon removal and nature-based solutions.
Corporate demand for super-pollutant abatement is growing. At New York Climate Week, Salesforce and other climate leaders emphasized that near-term climate strategies must prioritize high-integrity methane reduction projects.
Why Methane Mitigation Matters Now
Methane mitigation is one of the strongest opportunities for immediate climate progress. With advanced tools like satellite monitoring, machine learning and improved MRV, it is now possible to locate and eliminate large methane emitters faster and more accurately than ever before.
Addressing methane from orphaned wells helps close a critical gap in the climate response. It delivers fast, measurable environmental benefits while supporting long-term climate strategies that include decarbonization, removals, and restoration.
As policymakers, markets, and scientific bodies converge on the urgent need to reduce methane, addressing super-emitters — including legacy orphan wells — is emerging as a climate priority with outsized potential.
Super-Pollutant Methane: Fast Facts
- Methane caused ~0.5°C of observed warming to date.
- Over 20 years, methane warms the planet 80+ times more than CO₂.
- Cutting methane now can slow warming faster than almost any other action with increased durability.
- Orphaned wells can leak for decades — some emit thousands of scf/hr.
- Rebellion has measured methane across 3,000+ orphaned wells.
- ACR’s orphan-well methodology requires verification before crediting.
- Methane abatement complements removals by delivering near-term climate value.
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Published Jan 12, 2026 7am EST / 4am PST / 12pm GMT / 1pm CET