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In-depth reporting from the New York Times details methane venting in the Permian oil basin in Texas and New Mexico. Reporters and scientists flew a plane with specialized instruments and a camera designed to detect some of the worst sources of methane pollution. In one day, the survey identified six "super emitter" sites that were releasing thousands of pounds of methane every hour. These individual sites account for nearly half the emissions in the area. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas and contributor to ozone pollution, has been deregulated under the Trump administration through rollbacks in both the Interior Department and Environmental Protection Agency, which are led by former oil, gas, and coal lobbyists.
Detecting and measuring methane emissions from oil and gas operations is a difficult task, and the federal government may be greatly underestimating emissions as regulations are lifted to benefit oil and gas producers. And quite often, emissions come from oil and gas sites with operators that have since gone bankrupt, leaving the cleanup costs to taxpayers as methane continues to spew into the air.
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