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Even more methane is leaking from New Mexico's Permian Basin than previously thought, according to a new study conducted by Stanford University researchers and underwritten by the fossil fuel industry.
The study used aerial data to examine over 90 percent of the wells in the New Mexico portion of the Permian Basin. It found those wells are releasing 194 metric tons per hour of methane, a planet-warming gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide. That is more than six times as much as the latest estimate from the EPA.
“The bad news is that emissions in this time and this region were as high as they are,” said Evan Sherwin, co-author of the study and a research fellow at Stanford University’s department of energy resource engineering. “The good news is it was only about 1,000 sites out of 26,000 active wells.”
The EPA has proposed new regulations to eliminate venting at new and existing oil wells as well as require companies to capture and sell gas whenever possible, and New Mexico recently adopted its new rules to limit most venting and flaring to reduce methane emissions. But it can—and should—do more.
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Protecting these lands is a step toward remedying historical wrongs and reducing the environmental justice implications of forcing tribes to bear the disproportionate burden of national defense training.”
