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The Permian Basin, which extends between New Mexico and Texas, has been at the heart of the U.S.'s fracking boom. However, data show that as production has skyrocketed over the past decade, inspections and enforcement of oil and gas regulations have not kept up.
Since 1988, New Mexico's regulatory agency has inspected each well every two years on average, but inspection numbers have been dropping even lower recently. In addition, New Mexico only recently regained the ability to assess fines for violations. Between 2011 and 2015, there were 4,500 violations with zero dollars collected, but since the rule change in 2015, New Mexico has collected $250,000 in fines. These limitations have consequences, as the average number of oil and gas spills doubled between 2010 and 2020 compared to the previous decade.
Abandoned wells are a mounting problem across the West, and the Permian Basin is no exception. New Mexico's count of abandoned wells jumped from 200 in 2016 to 687 in 2020, with hundreds more at risk. Without remediation, these wells continue to leak methane into the atmosphere, harming public health and contributing to climate change. A 2016 study of abandoned wells in Colorado, Wyoming, Ohio, and Utah found that 40% of unplugged wells leak methane, with each well contributing the annual equivalent of burning more than 2,400 pounds of coal each year. New Mexico is only able to plug a few dozen abandoned wells every year. At that rate, it will take more than two decades to clear the backlog, not including the 400 additional wells projected to be abandoned.
States across the West face similar problems, as lack of funding, understaffing, and a growing number of abandoned wells challenge state oil and gas regulatory agencies. It is critical that Western states prioritize improving their oil and gas enforcement programs to protect local communities and the environment, and make sure taxpayers aren’t left on the hook for cleanup costs.
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Ensuring permanent protections for the Desert National Wildlife Refuge is just one step in honoring the Southern Paiute people and their history on the land as well as making amends for past injustices... The bill attempts to make some amends by restoring 41,255 acres of the Moapa people’s ancestral lands in an effort to promote and restore Tribal self-governance, economic opportunities and cultural practices on these lands.”
