AVANGRID INC. has been named a founding partner in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Natural Gas STAR Methane Challenge.

The voluntary, five-year initiative challenges natural gas utilities to identify sources of national gas or greenhouse gas emissions and implement emission-reducing strategies that go beyond regulatory requirements.

AVANGRID’s natural gas operating companies will begin gathering data on emissions and set and select a target to reduce emissions. Each spring, the companies will report back to the EPA and report their findings.

“Reducing natural gas emissions is nothing new at AVANGRID,” CEO James P. Torgerson said in a statement. “We are in the community nearly every day replacing old cast iron and bare steel pipe with safe, durable plastic pipe. This challenge is a great way to improve on those efforts.”