BLM should strengthen its methane waste prevention rule
Methane gas is burned off at a site of three oil wells in Lea County in 2019.
As business owners and longtime residents of New Mexico communities, we know of the impacts of methane waste and pollution on our state and the people who live near well sites.
The Bureau of Land Management's draft methane waste rule has implications for everyone, and it is crucial that the agency strengthens this rule to better protect taxpayers, communities, and our environment.
Thousands of Americans, including community, faith, and tribal leaders, as well as elected officials across the West, have submitted comments to the BLM urging the agency to strengthen its draft rule. While the proposed rule takes steps to reduce oil and gas waste, it falls short of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's duty to eliminate the waste of public and tribal resources from routine venting and flaring and ensure a fair return to taxpayers. In 2019 alone, oil and gas companies wasted over $500 million worth of gas on public and tribal lands.
It is imperative that the BLM moves beyond its royalty-only approach and requires oil and gas companies to capture gas rather than burning it in flares. If captured and used, this gas could generate millions in revenue for states and tribes to support education, infrastructure, and essential services, reducing the burden on citizens and businesses. Of course, flaring also degrades air quality, health, and visibility, reducing our standard of living and increasing future cleanup costs.
There are 101 active drilling rigs in New Mexico, more than Wyoming, North Dakota and Utah combined, and in our state, over half of the people living within 1,000 feet of oil and gas wells are people of color. The thousands of children, seniors, and low-income persons living in close proximity to oil and gas operations are especially susceptible to the dangerous effects of air pollution caused by venting and flaring which emit harmful ozone-forming volatile organic compounds — VOCs — and hazardous air.
Most active wells are located in Eddy County, and the American Lung Association’s latest State of the Air Report gives Eddy County a failing grade for ozone.
New Mexico’s adoption of oil and gas pollution and waste-reduction rules, as we recommend, would not only begin to reduce the threat here, but provide a model for BLM to use nationally. Pollution does not stop at state lines and BLM should protect all communities and taxpayers by eliminating these wasteful practices through regulation and then by engaging the business and research communities to develop new waste methane recapture methodologies, driving the economy.
We must generate new jobs, reduce waste and drive new revenue, and protect American taxpayers, frontline communities and future generations. Strengthening the BLM methane waste prevention rule is a crucial step in preserving these invaluable resources, growing New Mexico businesses, and safeguarding the health and well-being of all of us.
