Gas Driller Tourmaline’s Methane Emissions Soar in October (1)

Tourmaline Oil Corp. is now the largest emitter of planet-warming methane in Canada’s energy heartland following a series of acquisitions in recent years.

The company vented 3,862.5 thousand cubic meters of natural gas in October, a threefold jump from September and a 25% increase from a year earlier. That’s about 84.8 metric tons a day, the highest in Alberta Energy Regulator data stretching back to the start of 2020, when the agency revised its fuel, flare, and vent gas definitions.

For the first time, Tourmaline’s emissions surpassed those of Canadian Natural Resources Ltd., the country’s top overall oil and ...