NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is highlighting data collected by satellite that suggests New Mexico’s efforts to reduce emissions may be working.
The data was collected by Kayrros, an environmental data company. The company monitored methane emissions visible by satellite in southeastern New Mexico and into Texas. The company says they saw twice as many visible leaks, per unit of production, in Texas. And they didn’t find any super-emitting sites that had repeat leaks.
“This study proves what we in New Mexico already know: we are doing the right things at the right time to produce the cleanest barrel of oil in the country. It also proves that state leadership matters – and New Mexico will not abdicate its responsibility to future generations,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a press release. “But make no mistake: we are not slowing down to celebrate. We are all in on all of it: whether it’s building a state-of-the-art renewable energy, making more electric vehicles available to residents, shaping a cleaner oil and gas industry, or holding polluters accountable.”
The study wasn’t peer-reviewed and published, but the results are still promising and suggest that methane regulations that went into place starting in 2021 might be helping cut pollution. Still, the data did note there were more than 10 “super emitters” in New Mexico. The analysis did not include northwest New Mexico, which has seen a fair share of methane emissions.
