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Operators say voluntary "Latch the Hatch" program cut leakage even as production rises
Summary
Industry and researchers told a Uinta Basin forum that voluntary measures under the "Latch the Hatch" initiative — gasket replacements, alarms, tank isolation valves and aerial monitoring — have helped decouple production growth from emissions and driven a decline in estimated failure rates in recent inventories.
At a collaborative Uinta Basin meeting, industry representatives and researchers described how the voluntary Latch the Hatch program and related operator practices have reduced tank and compressor emissions even as oil and gas production has increased.
"Latch the Hatch was born" to address open thief hatches and other tank controls, Utah Petroleum Association president Ricky Ranco Browning said, describing a menu of voluntary actions that operators can adopt. She said members representing roughly 95% of basin production have installed signs, alarms and equipment changes and are tracking outcomes.
Findlay Resources field lead Nate Adamson described day‑to‑day maintenance: "Close the lid. Make sure it's locked," he said, outlining gasket and spring inspections and a process to tag and dispatch leaks. Adamson said crews use Viton gaskets, white lithium grease and targeted repairs; his team reported an average leak closure time of about 2.4 days and OGI technicians closing about 41% of leaks 발견ed in their program.
Brad Rausser of 4Point Resources emphasized correct use of tank isolation valves and showed pressure traces demonstrating what can go wrong when valves are left closed or hatches are not latched. "That hatch isn't latched," he said of a photo used to illustrate how easy it is to miss a seal that still vents emissions.
Aerial surveys are playing a larger role. Kristen Van Heese of SM Energy said her company flew 145 facilities with Bridger Photonics' laser system and found zero detections at 68% of sites; SM recorded only one persistent thief‑hatch leak among 857 tanks surveyed. She described the airborne method's sensitivity (about 3 kg/hour at ~90% detection) and said multiple flyovers help distinguish intermittent events from persistent sources.
Researchers and regulators said the new operational data is informing inventories and forecasting. Sheila Vance of the Department of Environmental Quality noted that an emissions‑inventory assumption used in 2017 (a 30% failure rate on tank controls) had fallen to 14% in the 2023 inventory. Seth Lyman of Utah State University said the basin's ozone‑alert system and a planned large‑scale emissions study will need operator cooperation and site data to ensure accuracy.
The meeting underscored coordination among operators, haulers and regulators: industry speakers asked haulers to routinely check hatch seals and urged that tank isolation valves be returned to the correct position after loading. Regulators pointed attendees to a DEQ grant to replace thief hatches that can support up to several hundred replacements.
