IPL New Mexico-El Paso, Citizens Caring for the Future Join 27 Other Groups in Petition to Governor

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IPL New Mexico & El Paso and Citizens Caring for the Future were among a group of 29  environmental and civic organizations signing a letter to Gov. Lujan Grisham urging her to line-item veto parts of House Bill 252 that would create an oil and gas severance tax exemption for “stripper well properties” for the costs of complying with the state’s 2021 methane waste rule and 2022 ozone precursor rule. If signed into law, this bill would perversely give companies a tax break for costs incurred to protect the public against hazards of these businesses’ own creation.

We adapted the above paragraph from an article written by The Western Enviromental Law Center. Here is the rest of the piece

“In its analysis, the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee found the exemption could cost the state $17.2 million in revenue between fiscal years 2025 to 2028, reduce bonding capacity by $18.8 million over the same time period, increase the Oil Conservation Division’s annual operating costs by $200,000, and require two new full-time-equivalent OCD employees. This tax giveaway to oil and gas operators therefore comes at the expense of the severance tax’s permanent fund and agency capacity at the precise time the state should be leveraging its resources to prepare for the inevitable decline of oil and gas revenue and production.

“House Bill 252’s oil and gas severance tax exemption reflects well-founded public concerns that the political deck is decidedly stacked in favor of the oil and gas industry, not the people of New Mexico,” said Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, executive director of the Western Environmental Law Center. “The oil and gas industry secured this severance tax exemption in the shadows while gutting sensible oil and gas reforms backed by the Lujan Grisham administration and other state officials. Line-item vetoing HB 252’s oil and gas severance tax exemption provides Gov. Lujan Grisham with an opportunity to stand strong for the people of New Mexico.”

Several state agencies expressed concern with the severance tax exemption:

  • The New Mexico Taxation and Revenue Department wrote in its fiscal impact report that the exemption “[w]ould set a precedent in tax policy that businesses may lower their tax liability to financially support complying with other business regulations and laws for operations. All businesses across all industries have business costs to meet varying laws, regulations and reporting. This would erode horizontal equity among taxpayers.”
  • The New Mexico State Land Office warned the exemption “[w]ould incentivize producers to continue operating poorly producing stripper wells [and] could result in the state/taxpayers incurring the legacy remediation and reclamation costs of the wells.”
  • And, as observed by the Attorney General, “[t]he Severance Tax Act and the Incentives Act already give favorable tax treatment to production from stripper wells.”

“A fundamental economic principle is businesses should bear the external social costs they create,” said Kayley Shoup, community organizer for Citizens Caring for the Future. “Oil and gas operators—not the public—should pay the compliance costs of reducing methane emissions from oil and gas operations to protect our climate and to reduce toxic air pollutants that harm public health. A tax break to the industry that is polluting the air where my neighbors and I live in the Permian Basin is simply not warranted.”

The groups signing on to the letter include the Western Environmental Law Center, 350 New Mexico, Albuquerque Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Center For Civic Policy, Chaco Alliance, Citizens Caring For The Future, Earth Action, Inc., Earthworks, Environmental Defense Fund, FracTracker Alliance, Indivisible Albuquerque, League Of Women Voters New Mexico, Moms Clean Air Force New Mexico Chapter, New Energy Economy, New Mexico Climate Justice, New Mexico Interfaith Power And Light, New Mexico Sportsmen, New Mexico Voices For Children, New Mexico Voters For Children Action Fund, New Mexico Wild, Progressive Democrats Of America – Central New Mexico, ProgressNow New Mexico, Prosperity Works, Rio Arriba Concerned Citizens, Rio Grande Indivisible, New Mexico, San Juan Citizens Alliance, See (Social Eco Education), and WildEarth Guardians.”

 

Please Sign Our Petition in Support of EPA Methane Rules

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Please join people of faith and conscience in New Mexico in signing a petition to thank the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for finalizing a strong rule to cut methane and other harmful pollutants from oil and gas operations. This action protects vulnerable communities in the Permian Basin and the Four Corners.

As people of faith and conscience in New Mexico, are writing to express our gratitude for your leadership in finalizing the rule to cut methane pollution and other harmful air pollutants from the oil and gas sector. This bold action is a critical step toward addressing climate change, protecting public health, and creating new jobs.

These common-sense protections address one of the single largest sources of climate-destabilizing pollution in the U.S. and the world. Methane is 80 times more powerful at warming the climate than carbon dioxide, and over one-third of the warming the world is experiencing today is due to methane emissions from human activities.

View full petition and please add your signature

Read a letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee in support of EPA rules, signed by Kayley Shoup, organizer for Citizens Caring for the Future, and Sister Joan Brown, executive director of Interfaith Power & Light New Mexico,

 

 

A Letter to the House Energy and Commerce Committee in Support of EPA Methane Rules

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Kayley Shoup, organizer for Citizens Caring for the Future, and Sister Joan Brown, executive director of Interfaith Power & Light New Mexico, penned the following letter to the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee,  We have added some subheadlines to highlight important points in the letter.

Members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee we write to you to affirm the importance of the  Methane Rules in the oil and gas industry and the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. We would be very concerned if these vital safeguards for public health and care for our sacred land, water and air were dismissed. As a frontline community group Citizens Caring for the Future whose members live in the Permian Basin of Southeast New Mexico and as New Mexico and El Paso Interfaith Power and Light which is an organization of people of faith with some members living in the Permian Region and working in solidarity with the frontline communities, we support the proposed rules and thank you for considering our comments.

Health Concerns in Vulnerable Frontline Communities
Those living, working and visiting the Permian Basin, the most productive oilfield in the country, witness firsthand the environmental challenges posed by extensive oil and gas operations. Headaches are common from fumes from oil facilities which number tens of thousands. Living in constant proximity to so much pollution causes cancers, asthma, premature births,  and other health problems. The American Lung Association is quite clear in expressing concerns for health in their State of the Air Report where both Eddy and Lea County received an F grade for ozone pollution. In addition emotional stress and even depression especially among young people is growing as a sense of hopelessness settles into communities with increased suicide and violence. Climate change concerns also affect young adults who increasingly know that humans are truly one with the earth and methane pollution is a large contributor to climate change. What hurts the planet, hurts us.

Pollution is an ethical and moral concern that visitors coming to the region through Immersion Retreat experiences that we sponsor immediately note. The assault upon human communities and the sacred land, water and air of New Mexico is a violation that is stark, yet often not spoken about because the economy of the region and state is so dependent upon the oil and gas industry. While Southeast New Mexico may be an economic driver for the state through the oil and gas industry, it is also home to the Carlsbad Caverns National Park and a Cave & Karst ecosystem.  A new National Park Service (NPS) report shows that there were 349,244 visitors to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in 2021 and they spent $25.1 million in communities near the park. That spending supported 312 jobs in the local area and had a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $27.4 million. Not only does oil and gas threaten the health of these underground worlds of biodiversity that are crucial to scientific research, but it also has an impact on the other diverse drivers of the local economy like tourism.

EPA methane rules a significant step
For these reasons, the recent EPA methane rules are a beacon of hope because they signal a crucial step towards mitigating the harmful effects of methane emissions and harmful VOC emissions in our region. By imposing stricter regulations these rules not only protect our air quality but also contribute to addressing the global climate crisis. As people deeply committed to preserving the natural beauty of the Permian Basin and the viability of our planet we believe that the EPA’s actions provide a foundation for fostering positive change. But, these regulations must be enforced if we are to see a change. Sadly, the Permian Basin should be designated a non- attainment zone by the EPA based on high ozone levels that are being recorded by the National Parks Service and scientists such as Dr. Detlev Helmig with Boulder AIR. In a period of just six months the Boulder AIR air monitor has recorded “31 days in which ground-level ozone levels surpassed the Environmental Protection Agency’s eight-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standard of 70 parts per billion.”

While New Mexico does have methane pollution rules that the state is making progress in enforcing, the Southeast region suffers from poor air quality coming from Texas, which has no state methane rules. In New Mexico overall 53% of people of color or approximately 80,000 people live within a half mile of oil and gas wells. While the Permian Basin does not have a large Native American population, overall in the state 17.1% (26,000) live within a half-mile of oil and gas facilities while proportionally they make up 10.5% of the total population.  Adding to these facts, New Mexico ranks third in the nation with the highest poverty rate, making these environmental justice concerns. The Oil & Gas Threat Map map offers these realities to our communities, especially children in great detail. Another helpful resource that offers scientifically determined data and the effects on communities can be found through the Environmental Defense Fund.

Permian Basin an important precedent
If we are to truly cut methane emissions in the United States we must address what is happening in the Permian and in New Mexico overall. We do that by following the mandates of the Clean Air Act, enforcing strong EPA regulations, and by implementing a managed decline of oil & gas production.

The Permian Basin faces the dilemma of balancing economic interests with environmental responsibility. The EPA’s methane rules strike a necessary balance by incentivizing the adoption of advanced technologies and practices to reduce methane emissions. This not only benefits the environment but also presents an opportunity for the region to transition into other jobs for workers, such as retrofitting equipment, methane mitigation jobs and clean-up. Transition is only possible if we also have the opportunity to conserve our air, water and land instead of being treated like a disposable sacrifice zone. We are encouraged by the potential for these rules to stimulate innovation, create green jobs, and ultimately pave the way for a cleaner, more sustainable future.

These rules empower frontline communities to engage with local communities, industry stakeholders, and policymakers to ensure that these regulations are effectively implemented and lead to meaningful change and a healthier world. The spirit of collaboration and dialogue that they invoke, enables us to work towards a common goal of safeguarding the environment while promoting a just and sustainable future for the Permian Basin and the planet. We must work together as we face the climate crisis.

Sincerely,

Kayley Shoup, Organizer, Citizens Caring for the Future

Sr. Joan Brown, osf, Executive Director New Mexico & El Paso Interfaith Power and Light