New report identifies events and names sources
A new report from Earthworks and the Gas Leaks Project found over 160 methane oil and gas emission events in the New Mexico Permian Basin. These events were observed emitting an estimated rate of nearly 400,000 pounds (180,692.7 kilograms) of methane, unknowingly exposing nearby communities to harmful carcinogens. The Environmental Protection Agency defines super-emitter events as a release of methane with an emission rate of 100 kilograms per hour or greater. Report authors identified 121 oil and gas sources across Lea and Eddy Counties, New Mexico, and the companies likely responsible.
“We didn’t presume we would find perfect overlap between emissions observed by satellite and what companies have reported to the state,” said Geoff Bromaghim, Director of Methane Accountability for the Gas Leaks Project. “While shocking, our findings also reveal an opportunity. If operators and regulators simply weren’t aware of many of these emissions problems, using space-based monitoring data could find and fix harmful air pollution issues faster.”
The analysis relies on satellite data collected on Carbon Mapper’s portal and ground-based optical gas imaging from January 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026 across the oil and gas-producing regions of the New Mexico Permian Basin. The analysis cross-referenced the satellite observational data with excess emissions reports filed with the New Mexico Environment Department and gas venting and flaring records reported to New Mexico’s Oil Conservation Division, finding a large discrepancy between the observed emissions and what operators reported to state regulators.
Key Findings:
- 166 super-emitter events were identified and linked to 121 oil and gas facilities in the New Mexico Permian Basin.
- Only 10% of identified facilities reported a significant gas venting or flaring event on the same day a super-emitter was observed.
- Of the plumes in this dataset attributed to facilities that have air permits, only 2% overlap with excess emissions events operators reported to the state.
- Modeling by PSE Healthy Energy over this same time period found nearly 37,000 people in Eddy and Lea counties may have been unknowingly put at risk due to unsafe benzene exposure.
- Midstream operations have an outsized emissions impact, accounting for 105 of the 166 methane pollution incidents.
“These super-emitter events are so large you can literally see them from space,” said Andrew Forkes-Gudmundson, Senior Manager for State Policy at Earthworks. “Many have long suspected the oil and gas industry is overstating compliance with New Mexico’s gas capture requirements. This report makes it clear: voluntary self-reporting requirements don’t cut it. In the face of the Trump Administration’s attack on climate rules, New Mexico has an incredible opportunity to put the state’s residents and climate before this polluting industry and adopt a super-emitter response program ASAP.”
The report includes analysis that goes well beyond just unveiling the companies likely responsible for super-emitter events. It shows how often these events fail to appear in the venting, flaring, and emissions data operators reported to the state, and highlights the role satellites play in detecting emissions problems long before oil and gas companies or regulators know about them. It also includes recommendations for New Mexico to enhance emissions mitigation and data accuracy, as the state considers adopting a Super-Emitter Program while EPA announces its plan to end the federal one.
“When I read the report’s findings, I was dismayed and struck that many of the documented super-emitter events don’t appear in the venting, flaring, and emissions data reported to the State,” said Dr. Kristin Graziano, a Family Medicine Physician based in Northwestern New Mexico. “ I think New Mexicans should be very concerned about exposure to emissions from oil and gas operations. We know air pollution harms every physiologic part of our body and every system across all stages of life. It can cause things like asthma, affect people with underlying lung issues, like COPD, and increase the risk of heart attacks and stroke.”
Methane is a greenhouse gas, a byproduct of oil and gas extraction, and a major source of air pollution— more than eighty times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. It’s often released alongside dangerous toxic gases, such as benzene, a known carcinogen linked to a range of detrimental health effects, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, lung cancer, and leukemia, posing serious health risks to people and surrounding communities.
About Big Gas Polluters
BigGasPolluters.org is a product of a coalition including Earthworks and Gas Leaks Project. It was launched to provide credible, evidence-based information on the fossil fuel industry’s claims and actions. The campaign includes a database documenting reported methane emissions, commitments made to reduce methane, evidence of leakage events from Earthworks, and more information about the 100 largest oil and gas companies in the US. Our goal is simple: we want a world with as little pollution from oil and gas as possible.
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