SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued the following statement Wednesday after the Trump administration announced plans to weaken the 2024 federal methane rules:
“With today's announcement that it intends to roll back methane emissions standards, the Trump administration is giving industry permission to pollute. Fortunately for New Mexicans — and the planet — our state has charted a better course while proving that stringent standards work.
Beginning in 2021, my administration, in partnership with our oil and gas industry, enacted some of the nation's strongest methane rules, cutting venting and flaring, requiring regular leak inspections, and moving operators to cleaner equipment. We then worked with EPA to help make New Mexico's protections national. The results speak for themselves: Today, methane intensity on our side of the Permian Basin is less than half of Texas' while our production has more than doubled since 2020, capturing an additional $125 million worth of natural gas that would have gone up in smoke before our rules were enacted.
Rolling back federal standards means more pollution drifting into the lungs of families living next to wells and flares, and a hotter planet for all of us. In New Mexico, we won't stand for that. Our methane rules will remain firmly in place, and we're planning to strengthen them while collaborating with other states to share our nation-leading best practices.
Our commonsense approach to energy policy is generating revenue for programs like universal child care, protecting children and families from the damaging effects of pollution and helping to mitigate the climate crisis. That's the kind of energy policy Americans want, and in New Mexico we'll keep delivering it.”