Last week, four of New Mexico’s delegates in Washington took a stand and did what is right for the people of this state and the country as a whole.
Courtesy photo
Rod Torrez
Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Reps. Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham sent a very strong letter to the Office of Management and Budget asking for a quick review of new rules being developed by the Environmental Protection Agency and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that would reduce the waste of methane in oil and natural gas development.
For Latinos in New Mexico, this is good news, as many of our oldest communities are downwind from oil and gas development. According to a 2014 poll conducted for Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and the Outdoors (HECHO) by Latino Decisions, an overwhelming 93 percent of Latinos in New Mexico and Colorado believe the government should protect public lands for recreation and the overall well-being of the environment.
Methane waste on public lands is of great concern to New Mexico’s economy; it also affects the outdoor places we have enjoyed for generations and the health of our communities.
This is important and timely as New Mexico leads the country in wasted methane. In fact, so much of this gas is escaping into New Mexico’s air that NASA discovered a methane “hotspot” cloud that has grown to the size of Delaware – the highest concentration in the country – over the Four Corners area last year.
When oil and gas companies drill, excess methane is often released into the air (venting). Sometimes companies waste the gas by burning it off (flaring), and it is continuously wasted via preventable leaks from pipelines and at well sites. Although smart and efficient technologies have been developed to capture the gas so that it can be sold, very few companies use the technology. It will take a strong federal rule by BLM to make sure these technologies are implemented on public lands.
BLM doesn’t charge a royalty fee for wasted methane on America’s public lands, even though the methane that’s being wasted on our publically owned land is worth millions. When the natural gas is flared, vented, or leaked, it is not included in calculations used to determine royalty payments. As a result, New Mexican taxpayer lose out on royalties owed for natural gas production on our land.
In the aforementioned poll by HECHO and Latino Decisions, 77 percent of Latinos believe that oil and gas companies should pay royalties on gas they waste.
The waste is startling. According to Environmental Defense fund, $101 million of natural gas is wasted each year on federal and tribal lands in New Mexico. That is enough energy to meet heating and cooking needs for more than twice the number of homes in Albuquerque for one year.
This is a significant amount of waste and revenue lost on land that belongs to the public.
Our federal public lands are important to our way of life in New Mexico. The resources taken from those lands should benefit all who live here. It’s important for the BLM to introduce a strong rule on methane before more gas is wasted, affecting our land, our health and our economy.
Thanks to the leadership of our four New Mexicans for taking a stand on this issue and protecting the lands and revenue for this state as well as for all Americans.
Rod Torrez is communications strategist for HECHO (Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and Outdoors). For Torrez, HECHO, is about acknowledging centuries of Latino heritage in the West, encouraging Latino families to strengthen their connections to this land through recreation, and giving voice to the beloved landscapes as issues arise that affect them.