Research

Analysis and data

Independent research on methane policy, destruction economics, and the gap between what the RNG industry promises and what it delivers.

Policy Analysis|8 min

The Subsidy Trap: Why RNG Economics Collapse Without Credit Stacking

RNG only works when you stack LCFS + RINs + 45Z. Remove any one leg and the economics collapse. That is not infrastructure. That is arbitrage.

March 15, 2026Read analysis→

Data|12 min

The 17,500 Sites Left Behind

A 1,000-head dairy has real methane. It will never get an RNG project. Neither will 90% of swine operations or small municipal wastewater plants.

March 1, 2026Read analysis→

May 25, 2026

Farm Advocacy|6 min readMay 25, 2026

The 283 Cow Test for Methane Policy

A methane program that cannot work for the average dairy is not ready to call itself a farm policy.

Read→

May 22, 2026

Methane Science|6 min readMay 22, 2026

Burning Methane Is Climate Math

Combusting methane looks counterintuitive, but the chemistry explains why verified destruction deserves policy credit.

Read→

May 18, 2026

Affordability|6 min readMay 18, 2026

Every Methane Grant Should Publish Its Price Per Ton

Methane funding should show public cost per verified ton, not just equipment paid for or fuel volume produced.

Read→

May 15, 2026

RNG Comparison|5 min readMay 15, 2026

The Upgrader Is Not the Climate Device

RNG can make sense at the right scale, but policy should not confuse gas upgrading with the methane cut happening at the farm.

Read→

May 11, 2026

Affordability|5 min readMay 11, 2026

The Methane Credit Should Follow the Meter

Affordable methane policy should pay for verified destruction over time, not only big installations up front.

Read→

May 8, 2026

Consumer Protection|6 min readMay 8, 2026

The RNG Surcharge Needs a Methane Receipt

If utility customers pay for renewable gas, they deserve proof of methane destroyed and cheaper alternatives considered.

Read→

May 4, 2026

Farm Advocacy|6 min readMay 4, 2026

Milk Checks Cannot Carry the Methane Fix

Dairy methane policy fails when it asks shrinking farm margins to carry a public climate job.

Read→

May 1, 2026

RNG Comparison|6 min readMay 1, 2026

A Unit of Fuel Is Not a Methane Cut

RNG policy rewards fuel volume, but the atmosphere only responds to methane destroyed.

Read→

May 1, 2026

Methane Science|6 min readMay 1, 2026

A Methane System Is Only as Good as Its Worst Leak

New dairy measurements show why methane policy has to pay for monitoring as much as equipment.

Read→

April 27, 2026

Methane Science|5 min readApril 27, 2026

The Lagoon Is a Methane Machine

Why liquid manure storage turns farm waste into fast warming methane, and why simple destruction should count before fuel markets.

Read→

April 27, 2026

Affordability|6 min readApril 27, 2026

The Methane Bill That Starts After Installation

Methane policy funds equipment better than the everyday work that keeps emissions down.

Read→

April 24, 2026

Consumer Protection|7 min readApril 24, 2026

The Word 'Renewable' on Your Gas Bill Is an Accounting Entry, Not a Molecule

Utility bills label gas as renewable, but the molecules in your pipes are the same fossil methane. The system charges consumers a premium for a certificate, not a different product.

Read→

April 22, 2026

RNG Comparison|7 min readApril 22, 2026

Twelve Miles from the Nearest Pipeline: Why RNG Can Never Reach Most Dairy Farms

Most U.S. dairy farms are too far from gas pipelines for renewable natural gas to be viable. Methane destruction works everywhere. The map tells the story.

Read→

April 17, 2026

Methane Science|7 min readApril 17, 2026

What Methane Destruction Actually Means, and Why It Matters More Than Capture

An introductory guide to methane destruction technologies, the chemistry behind them, and why the distinction between destroying methane and merely capturing it is the most important number in farm climate policy.

Read→

April 14, 2026

RNG Comparison|7 min readApril 14, 2026

The Methane That Leaks Between the Digester and Your Stove

RNG projects report high capture rates, but methane losses at every stage of the supply chain undercut the climate math that justifies billions in public investment.

Read→

April 10, 2026

Farm Advocacy|7 min readApril 10, 2026

The Paperwork Problem: Why Most Farmers Never Apply for Methane Programs

Federal and state methane incentives exist on paper, but the application process excludes the small and mid-size farms that produce most of the uncaptured emissions.

Read→

April 10, 2026

Farm Advocacy|7 minApril 10, 2026

The Cost of Doing Nothing About Farm Methane

Every year that farm methane goes unaddressed, the atmospheric damage compounds. For mid-size dairies, the math is brutal and the options are few.

Read→

April 10, 2026

Methane Science|7 min readApril 10, 2026

The Twenty-Year Number: How the Wrong Metric Hides Methane's Real Damage

Climate regulations measure methane's impact over 100 years. Over 20 years, methane is nearly three times more powerful. That choice shapes which projects get funded.

Read→

April 10, 2026

Consumer Protection|7 min readApril 10, 2026

Voluntary RNG Programs Had Almost No Takers. Then Came the Mandates.

When utilities gave customers the choice to pay for renewable natural gas, almost nobody opted in. The industry responded by making it mandatory.

Read→

April 10, 2026

Farm Advocacy|8 min readApril 10, 2026

What Methane Actually Costs a 400-Cow Dairy

For a mid-size dairy farmer, methane is not an abstract climate problem. It is a line item with no revenue attached and growing regulatory exposure.

Read→

April 8, 2026

Consumer Protection|7 min readApril 8, 2026

Who Pays for Renewable Natural Gas? Follow the Utility Bill.

RNG costs flow through ratepayer bills, not investor returns. Consumers subsidize pipeline methane projects without knowing it.

Read→

April 7, 2026

RNG Comparison|8 min readApril 7, 2026

What It Actually Costs to Destroy a Ton of Methane

A direct cost-per-ton comparison between RNG upgrading and enclosed flaring reveals a gap that policy has ignored for a decade.

Read→

April 7, 2026

Policy Analysis|7 min readApril 7, 2026

The EQIP Bottleneck: How Federal Methane Funding Skips the Farms That Need It

USDA's primary conservation program funnels methane money to large operations while thousands of small dairies wait years or never apply at all.

Read→

April 7, 2026

Policy Analysis|6 minApril 7, 2026

Forty-Seven States Have No Incentive to Destroy Farm Methane

Only three states offer credit programs for farm methane reduction. The rest offer nothing, leaving thousands of operations with no economic pathway to address emissions.

Read→

April 7, 2026

Affordability|7 min readApril 7, 2026

No Lender, No Project: The Capital Gap Killing Farm Methane Solutions

Even the cheapest methane destruction technology cannot reach most farms because no financing product exists to fund it.

Read→

April 7, 2026

Policy Analysis|8 min readApril 7, 2026

State Climate Programs Measure the Wrong Methane Metric

State renewable gas mandates track production volumes, not actual methane destroyed. The measurement gap shapes which projects get funded and which farms get ignored.

Read→

February 15, 2026

Technical|10 minFebruary 15, 2026

Methane Slip: The Number the RNG Industry Buries

RNG claims 85-95% capture. But 5-15% methane slip through processing and transport means the atmosphere still takes the hit. Enclosed flares destroy 98%+ on-site.

Read→

February 1, 2026

Policy Analysis|7 minFebruary 1, 2026

Destruction vs. Monetization: A False Choice Made by Policy

Flare-only projects get zero LCFS incentives. Zero RINs. The policy framework rewards complexity over outcomes.

Read→

January 15, 2026

Economics|9 minJanuary 15, 2026

The Economics of Enclosed Flares at Sub-Scale Sites

At $200K-$500K per unit versus $8-25M for an RNG facility, enclosed flares can reach thousands of sites that will never see pipeline injection.

Read→