Participants Pray, Reflect at Permian Immersion Retreat in March

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Members of First Unitarian Church, Albuquerque; Albuquerque Mennonite, Laudato Si Movement, Loredo; and others from El Paso, Los Lunas and Albuquerque participated with Interfaith Power and Light and Citizens Caring for the Future in an Immersion Retreat experience March 23-25 in the Permian Basin, New Mexico. They prayed, reflected, listened to frontline community members in Carlsbad, Jal, and Hobbs and committed to deeper solidarity and action with neighbors in the Permian to address methane pollution, economic inequity and worker concerns and climate change.  IPL offers these experience a few times throughout the year. The next ones will be in the fall.

Documentary Examines Climate Pollution in Texas Permian Region

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Uncovering the Permian Climate Bomb is an award-winning film directed by Sharon Wilson and Miguel Escoto about a 22-year-old activist that comes face to face with what is now the world’s largest source of climate pollution: the Texas Permian Basin. **Help defuse the Permian Climate Bomb: http://www.earthworks.org/permian

Report: New Mexico’s largest emitters overlooked in state climate policy

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Through an executive order and state legislation, New Mexico has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions 45 percent by 2030 and required all utilities to decarbonize their electricity supply by 2045.

In light of these ambitious climate policies, a team of researchers from PSE Healthy Energy and the University of New Mexico analyzed large stationary sources of climate- and health-damaging pollution—including fossil fuel-fired power plants, oil refineries, gas processing plants and compressor stations, manufacturing plants, and landfills—in New Mexico. The report includes a location-based analysis and provides suggestions for maximizing the public health and climate benefits of state policies.

Based on their analysis, the researchers found that:

  • Large stationary sources contribute approximately one quarter of New Mexico’s greenhouse gas emissions
  • Large stationary sources are significant contributors of health-damaging air pollutants
  • Oil and gas and electric power sectors are the largest contributors of health-damaging air pollutant emissions among large stationary sources
  • Smaller “large sources” are important contributors of health-damaging pollution
  • Many large stationary sources are located in communities with a high proportion of people of color or low-income households
  • Four areas stand out as regions with clusters of large stationary sources:
    • San Juan Basin: San Juan, Rio Arriba, and McKinley counties include 65 large facilities, 56 of which are in the oil and gas sector. This region has a very high population of Native American residents.
    • Permian Basin: Chaves, Lea, and Eddy are home to 69 facilities, 53 of which are in the oil and gas sector.
    • Albuquerque, Bernalillo, and Sandoval Counties: The metropolitan area has the largest population in the state and contains 15 large stationary sources, including a mine, landfills, manufacturing, an airport, and the university.
    • Las Cruces and Dona Aña County: Nine large stationary sources are situated in this region, and three facilities are located in low-income communities of color in Sunland Park.

Here are more details of the study