Monday, October 08, 2007

We've Been in New Mexico

Everyone's probably wondering why we haven't posted since September 17th. No, it's not because there's been no news--there's been plenty (like the state of Colorado considering adopting clean car standards). Part of it's because we've been in New Mexico.

Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action is dedicated to protecting clean air in Colorado, as well as the surrounding region. And last week, we took our week south to Santa Fe, New Mexico this time achieving a key win in the fight against climate change.

At a two-day rulemaking hearing, we provided critical testimony supporting efforts to require the oil and gas industry to report their greenhouse gas pollution. The oil and gas industry is responsible for nearly 24% of all greenhouse gases in the state, second only to coal burning power plants. And of the oil and gas industry's greenhouse gases, 32% is methane, which is 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

The state of New Mexico is working toward a 75% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050. Of the options on the table, methane reductions from the oil and gas industry promise to yield the most cost-effective greenhouse gas reductions for the state. Methane reductions are so effective at fighting climate change that the Governor of New Mexico has called for a 20% reduction in methane by 2020.

Despite all this, the state was proposing to exclude the oil and gas industry from key greenhouse gas reporting rules. The rules would require large sources of greenhouse gases to report their emissions to set up future reductions.

Working alongside the Natural Resources Defense Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and the Western Environmental Law Center, Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action helped convince the independent Environmental Improvement Board to require the oil and gas industry to report their greenhouse gases.

The new rules are pioneering. In fact, they are the first set of greenhouse gas reporting rules that specifically target the oil and gas industry. But really, they're about common sense. Because methane is money, there is an inherent incentive for the industry to keep track of its pollution. In fact, BP, a major natural gas producer in New Mexico, is already keeping close tabs on its methane emissions.

Remember, climate change is a clean air issue and Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action is helping mount the charge to make sure the oil and gas industry, like everyone else, helps do their part to tackle global warming. We've done it in New Mexico, now it's time to go to back to Colorado.

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