SAN JUAN COUNTY – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New Mexico Environment Department are pushing for revised rules for emissions after the departments conducted a flyover of the Permian and San Juan basins to identify emissions trends at oil and gas fields.

The departments used forward-looking infrared technology to observe any oil or gas emissions that would otherwise be difficult to see with the naked eye.

The results were worse than expected – leak rates for oil and gas were higher than anticipated in both the Permian Basin and San Juan Basin.

Leaks that include methane, volatile organic compounds and other pollutants were seen coming from a variety of sources, including tanks and flares.

According to a news release from the NMED, the Permian Basin reported 9,100 storage tanks with 505 leaking methane and VOCs, while the San Juan Basin reported 61 leaking tanks of a total of 1,080 storage tanks. For the flares, of the 1,400 in the Permian Basin, 58 were unlit and emitting the harmful gases. In the San Juan Basin, two of the 63 flares were unlit.

Compared with a flyover from 2019, the Permian Basin increased its emissions by 3% to make it a total of a 5% leak rate. The San Juan Basin was not inspected by flyover in 2019, so there is no data about an increase or decrease, however, the NMED reported a leak rate of 3%.

“It’s clear that voluntary emissions reductions measures undertaken by some operators are not enough to solve this problem. This is an undeniable call to action for our department to strengthen our draft ozone precursor rules and for every oil and natural gas operator with leaking equipment documented in these videos to immediately get emissions under control,” said NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney. “Ozone levels in the oil and gas regions of New Mexico are already threatening our most vulnerable population’s ability to breathe, like children and the elderly, as well as those dealing with complications from COVID-19.”

The emissions, according to the release, are mostly from unaddressed leaks and equipment failures and are “significantly higher” in those basins compared with those reported by the industry.

“The disappointing findings come after 18 months of intensive and ongoing stakeholder discussions with the oil and natural gas industry on reducing methane and VOC emissions,” Justin Garoutte, NMED spokesman, said in the release.

Kenney said the flyover confirms rule changes are needed soon.

“Whether the root cause of these emissions is faulty equipment or neglected maintenance, operators must take immediate action to prevent these emissions from occurring in the first place,” Kenney said. “As New Mexico’s chief environmental regulator, I am disappointed to see such egregious emissions from oil and gas operators who represented to this department they were not the problem. I expect oil and gas operators to do better – our climate and our ability to breathe clean air is at stake.”

mmitchell@durangoherald.com