Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Oil and gas spills up in 2021 in top three Western oil-producing states
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Thursday April 14, 2022
Oil and gas lines in New Mexico, Forest Guardians/Wikimedia Commons ([link removed])

Oil and gas companies in Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming reported an increase in drilling-related spills in 2021 compared to 2020, according to a new report from the Center for Western Priorities. ([link removed]) Notably, New Mexico recorded a record number of spills in 2021.

In 2021, oil prices rebounded from a pandemic-induced slump in 2020, when the price per barrel briefly dropped below zero. The rebound in oil prices is likely behind increased production of oil in New Mexico, while Wyoming and Colorado both produced less oil in 2021 compared to 2020.

While federal oil and gas regulations related to spill and leak reporting remained unchanged in 2021, New Mexico began requiring operators to report all incidents of flaring and venting of gas totaling over 50,000 cubic feet in a 24-hour period. The new rule, which went into effect at the end of May 2021, is part of a larger effort in the state to reduce overall methane emissions ([link removed]) . Previously, the state only required operators to report incidents of venting—in which methane is released straight into the atmosphere rather than burned. This new reporting revealed 12,005 incidents of flaring and 1,211 incidents of venting in 2021 ([link removed]) , resulting in over 5 billion cubic feet of flared methane and 281 million cubic feet of vented methane—which is equivalent to the emissions produced by over 100,000 cars driven for a year.

“As oil companies once again push for more access to public land for drilling, it’s clear the industry still has a way to go to clean up its act,” said ([link removed]) Kate Groetzinger, report author and communications associate at the Center for Western Priorities. “Oil and gas spills routinely impact water wells and communities in the West, while methane gas continues to spew into the atmosphere at a high rate. Residents and regulators should not simply accept this as the cost of doing business.”
Quick hits


** Interior considers emergency water cuts to sustain Lake Powell
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Arizona Public Media ([link removed]) | Colorado Sun ([link removed])


** New book by former park ranger documents climate change in national parks
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Arizona Republic ([link removed])


** Alaska oil production unlikely to rise despite high gas prices
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KTOO ([link removed])


** Study: We can still reach global goal on climate change
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Greater Las Cruces demonstrates power of the Antiquities Act
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Las Cruces Sun News ([link removed])


** Permian drilling permitting hits all-time monthly high
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Get into Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturday, no reservation required
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Denver Post ([link removed])


** How one Colorado ranch held a $3 billion clean-power project hostage
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Bloomberg ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” There’s really a paradigm shift that’s starting among scientists about this idea of neutrality and remaining unbiased... I really think that this shift is just an acknowledgment of the inherent humanity of scientists and the fact that we have feelings—and unalienable rights to express those feelings.”
—Rose Abramoff, a climate scientist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory who participated in climate protests in D.C. this week, E&E News ([link removed])
Picture this


** @usinterior ([link removed])
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Thanks to the Great American Outdoors Act we are addressing maintenance backlogs at national parks, on public lands, and in @bureauofindianeducation ([link removed]) schools to improve the nation’s recreational opportunities, protect our national treasures and invest in local economies.

Photo mountrainiernps by John Pavlish

ALT TEXT: photo of a deer in a meadow with a pink sky and snow-covered Mt. Rainier in the distance

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