Environment

New Mexico Governor Moves To Limit Methane Emissions, Combat Climate Change

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered state officials to develop regulations to reduce methane emissions from its oil and gas industry and separately roll back statewide greenhouse gas output over the next decade.

nm.jpg
Democratic candidate for governor Michelle Lujan Grisham sits down for a meal at Barelas Coffee House on midterm elections day in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on 6 November 2018.
Credit: Brian Snyder/Reuters.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on 28 january ordered state officials to develop regulations to reduce methane emissions from its oil and gas industry and separately rollback statewide greenhouse gas output over the next decade.

The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department and Environment Department were directed to enact methane emission reduction “rules as soon as practicable,” the executive order said.

Lujan Grisham, a recently elected Democrat, campaigned on the promise of tightening environmental guidelines for the southwestern state’s fossil fuels sector.

As home to part of the booming Permian Basin oil hub, New Mexico has doubled its oil output in recent years to become one of the top crude-producing states.

In her executive order, the governor also formed a task force to develop a plan to curb the state’s greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from 2005 levels by the year 2030. The group is set to release its initial recommendations by 15 September.

Additionally, Lujan Grisham announced New Mexico has joined a group of governors, known as the US Climate Alliance, electing to uphold the Paris climate agreement despite President Donald Trump’s decision to remove the United States from the pact.

Read the full story here.