Carlsbad, New Mexico activists demand stronger oil and gas rules in Washington, D.C.
The Rev. David Rogers of Carlsbad’s First Christian Church journeyed from the Cavern City this week to the halls of Congress to demand federal action on air pollution in his community on the frontlines of the American oil industry.
Amid some of the U.S.’ busiest oilfields in the Permian Basin of southeast New Mexico, Carlsbad suffered from worsening air pollution while extraction grew. Although the industry brought windfalls of revenue to the local community and the State, Rogers worried it was coming at the detriment of the local environment and public health.
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That’s why he joined a collective of environmental advocates to meet with federal leaders, pushing for stronger action on air pollutants like methane from the oil and gas industry as the Environmental Protection Agency was considering tightening its regulations.
They met with New Mexico’s congressional delegation, and staff at the EPA, Bureau of Land Management at the White House, hoping to rally support for the stricter rules.
“We’re here to advocate for strong, reasonable, responsible methane regulations because of its impacts on climate change and local health,” Rogers said from Washington, D.C. in an interview with the Carlsbad Current-Argus.
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“What I see is a dangerous allure of short-term profits at the expense of local health.”
Rogers was joined by other activists from New Mexico, North Dakota, Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia – all fossil-fuel-producing states also grappling with concerns about the industry’s impacts, pushing for an “energy transition” away from fossil fuels.
“The key word is transition,” Rogers said. “A transition recognizing there are jobs and an energy economy based on petroleum. You can’t just flip the switch, but we have to make the transition away from petroleum or we won’t have a planet.”
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They argued in support of an EPA proposal from November 2022 that would expand a previous rulemaking a year earlier to require all states increase regular monitoring of oil and gas sites for leaks, basing the inspection requirements on the types of equipment at the sites instead of the current method based on estimated emissions.
A final decision on the rulemaking was expected this year.
These rules would include existing sources of emissions, along with new facilities.
The proposal would also require monitoring throughout the lifetime of a well, until it is properly capped and monitoring shows zero emissions.
Operators would also have to submit well closure plans to the EPA under the proposal.
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It also includes language for EPA to approve of new monitoring technologies as they’re developed, while adding requirements for flaring – the burning of excess gas – and seeking to limit the practice to emergencies while increasing requirements for flare performance.
The EPA also proposed all pumps at well sites be “zero-emission,” and not be gas-driven.
The proposal would reduce methane emissions by 36 million metric tons from 2023 to 2035, along with 9.7 million tons of volatile organic compounds, and recover up to $4.6 billion of otherwise wasted natural gas during that timeframe.
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Also expected later this year was an EPA decision on listing the Permian Basin region in New Mexico and West Texas in non-attainment of federal ozone standards, meaning the entire area would be found in violation of federal air quality requirements.
This is tied to the emission of VOCs from oil and gas, which form ground-level ozone also known as smog, and a non-attainment designation would add additional federal requirements for permitting of fossil fuel facilities, effectively slowing the process.
Despite these effects, oil and gas is key segment of New Mexico’s economy, credited for a third of the state budget and a leading factor in a recent $3.5 billion surplus in state coffers.
More:Eddy County oil and gas tax collections exceed budgeted expectations in 2023
Supporters of the industry have long touted the economic benefits, and industry-led efforts to reduce emissions.
Tighter government regulations could put many smaller operators out of business, and stymie growth in U.S. energy production, argued Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Western Energy Alliance.
The Alliance last month submitted public comments on the EPA proposal, arguing many of the added requirements were not “cost-effective,” and could place undue burden on energy companies.
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“We support cost-effective regulation that incentivizes innovation, rewards positive performance, and provides regulatory certainty, but EPA’s proposed rules fail on all accounts,” she said. “Several provisions in the rules would be impractical to implement, technically infeasible, provide no environmental benefit, and discourage the use of innovative technologies.
“By EPA’s own admission, the rules will reduce American oil and natural gas production, forcing the country to become more dependent on oil produced overseas.”
But to Rogers, the benefits of stronger environmental protections outweigh the economics of fossil fuel production.
More:Permian Basin oil and gas companies address pollution as fossil fuel production booms
He said as more political leaders learn about climate change and its causes, he’s hopeful action will be taken.
“We’re telling the story of what’ really going on,” Rogers said. “The reality is we’re paying a dear price for that revenue. I think there’s hope that as global climate change gets worse, people are seeing these effects.”
Antoinette Reyes, an organizer with the Sierra Club’ Rio Grande Chapter said from the U.S. Capitol that without stronger federal rules, state-level regulations those recently enacted in New Mexico could struggle to make an impact as pollution could travel from states like Texas with laxer rules.
“Even though we do have some local protections in New Mexico, pollution knows no boundaries or borders,” she said. “These are common-sense controls to keep people safe.”
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: New Mexico activists demand stronger oil and gas rules at U.S. Capitol
