For Immediate Release
July 30, 2025
Contact: Antoinette Reyes, Antoinette.Reyes@sierraclub.org

The EPA Delays Implementation of Critical Methane Pollution Controls, Jeopardizing the Health and Air Quality of Thousands of New Mexicans

Las Cruces, N.M. – Yesterday, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin issued an interim final rule delaying implementation of Biden-era changes to Section 111b of the Clean Air Act, which updated greenhouse gases (GHG), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and methane pollution standards for new and existing oil and gas facilities. Methane is a climate super pollutant that is vented and flared from oil and gas wells impacting public health. Both large and independent producers have gone on record in support of federal methane regulation and major oil and gas producing states including Colorado, Wyoming, Pennsylvania and New Mexico have already been implementing the standards.

Implementing and fully enforcing the Section 111 EPA methane rule requires pollution controls that would improve the air quality of countless people who live, work, and recreate in New Mexico every day. According to the oil and gas threat map, there are 62,492 wells, compressors and processors in New Mexico with 119 schools and over 144,000 people living within a half mile of one of these facilities. Almost half of whom are people of color, and nearly a quarter are children. Low-income communities disproportionately live in closer proximity to oil and gas sites with more dense infrastructure nearby.

Delaying implementation of the EPA methane rule by a decade means our communities have to wait that much longer for relief. The risks are high, and the stakes continue to rise as production increases. This is especially true for areas bordering states like Texas, that lack meaningful pollution controls since pollution knows no boundaries. The pollutants emitted affect the quality of life and health of our communities, and they add to the climate crisis impacts we are already experiencing such as more frequent, and more ferocious fires paired with profound drought.

In the latest State of the Air report from the American Lung Association, rural Eddy County continues to be listed as one of the top 25 counties in the country that experience high levels of pollution, one of only two rural counties to make the list. This is largely due to oil and gas waste and pollution.

Since 2014, after the New Mexico methane hotspot in the Four Corners area was discovered via satellite, a coalition of groups, including the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, has participated in dozens of OMB meetings. Locally, the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter alone has delivered over 43,000 comments over the years in support of strong federal standards mitigating methane emissions. We will continue to engage our members and supporters in the current expected 30 day comment period.

The decision to delay implementation of the EPA methane rule paired with the inevitable revocation of the 2009 endangerment finding, which has long provided the legal basis for the government’s authority to curb climate pollutants, like carbon dioxide and methane. The removal of the endangerment finding will make it harder for future federal rules to address climate-polluting emissions from industry.

In response, Permian Organizer of the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, Antoinette Reyes, released the following statement:

“As the mother of two young children, one of which developed asthma while living in Southern NM’s poor air quality, the need for cracking down on leaks, encouraging the use of readily available non-emitting technologies, and all the other benefits that implementing and enforcing these rules would provide is urgent. Any delay in implementation is a delay in making it so that the air quality that countless people rely on daily improves. For kids like my daughter, this is urgent. Her asthmatic symptoms improve dramatically when we travel out of state.

Pushing back these compliance deadlines only undermines industry’s progress towards improved efficiency, creates uncertainty in energy markets, and will cost our communities valuable jobs in the methane mitigation industry. Administrator Zeldin’s action is misguided and demonstrates a blatant disregard for the health of our communities, quality of life of our residents, and the waste of resources while adding to the climate crisis we are already feeling.”