Immediate Release
November 19, 2025
Senate Republicans Block Methane Protections, Leaving NM Exposed to Texas Pollution
New Mexico — Senate Republicans voted against a resolution that would have stopped the Trump administration from delaying critical methane pollution standards — a decision that leaves New Mexico vulnerable to pollution from Texas’ unregulated oil and gas fields.
EPA finalized these protections in late 2023 after years of public input. The rules would, for the first time, require oil and gas companies to clean up methane leaks from existing equipment and strengthen standards for new wells. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that warms the climate 80 times faster than CO₂ over 20 years.
The Trump administration’s decision to delay implementation by 12 months is projected to result in:
- 1.3 million additional tons of methane,
- nearly 1 million tons of smog-forming VOCs, and
- 36,000 tons of hazardous air pollutants, including carcinogens.
For New Mexico, the risks are severe. Although New Mexico has enacted some of the strongest methane rules in the nation, Texas has almost no methane regulations, allowing unchecked pollution to drift across the border into southeastern New Mexico. Communities near Carlsbad, Hobbs, and the Four Corners already suffer from high pollution levels and elevated asthma rates.
New Mexico’s congressional delegation — Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Luján — have been national leaders in pushing for strong federal methane safeguards that match New Mexico’s state-level rules and protect New Mexico from Texas’ pollution.
Antoinette Reyes with the Rio Grande Chapter (NM & West TX):
“New Mexico families are paying the price for Texas’ refusal to regulate its oil and gas industry. Our state has done the hard work of passing strong methane rules, yet pollution from across the border continues to blow into our communities. Senate Republicans sided with bad actors and left New Mexicans exposed to more toxic emissions that increase asthma, cancer risk, and climate damage. We’re grateful for Senators Heinrich and Luján who continue to fight for strong federal methane safeguards.”