Report ranks NM No. 1 for methane emissions, lost gas revenues

A national environmental advocacy group says natural gas and the revenue associated with its production at oil and gas wells are wasted at high levels on federal and tribal lands throughout the Western United States, with New Mexico accounting for more waste than any other state. A report commissioned by the Environmental Defense Fund and compiled by the consulting firm ICF International drew on Environmental Protection Agency and industry data to measure the amount of methane leaked, vented or burned during 2011. In New Mexico, the report said, that number totaled about 33.7 billion cubic feet, at an estimated cost of about $101 million...more