Reducing methane emissions has been a significant focus of both the U.S. oil and natural gas industry and environmentalists in recent years. Yet, the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association’s recently proposed Methane Mitigation Roadmap for the state’s industry to significantly reduce these emissions has been rejected by these same environmental groups.

The recommendations within the roadmap, which identifies mitigation strategies for the four most-reported sources of methane emissions, will be considered by state officials as part of the ongoing effort to create a regulatory framework to reduce these emissions.

In addition to replacing aging equipment and onsite monitoring, NMOGA’s plan would require the oil and natural gas industry to conduct annual leak detection and repair (LDAR) inspections. As NMOGA Executive Director Ryan Flynn explained:

“We know that we have a responsibility to reduce our methane emissions and this report underscores we are in fact reducing emissions through responsible operations. We will continue collaborating with willing partners in the public and private sector, while investing in advanced technology and innovation to achieve even greater reductions in methane emissions.”

Read the full post on EIDClimate.org.

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