Donald Trump's presidential victory in November could lead to the end of a federal response to elevated air pollution in the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico. To learn more about this, Anthony Moreno talked with Jerry Redfern, an investigative journalist covering the oil and gas industry in New Mexico for Capital & Main to learn more about why it took the Environmental Protection Agency so long to act on the issue.
Transcript from part of interview:
Jerry Redfern: The Permian Basin doesn't just sit in New Mexico, we share it with Texas and the pollution comes from both sides of the border. A lot of it happens to blow from Texas into New Mexico, sort of bringing the pollution with it. But I think as most of your listeners probably know, Texas has a very strong governor who very much does not like the EPA and has sort of rallied his troops against the EPA and environmental protection for years.
Anthony Moreno: You were able to talk with James Kenney, the state’s environment department secretary. How did he sound in regards to any sort of regulation possibly happening now with the pollution in the oil and gas fields in southeastern New Mexico?
Jerry Redfern: He was pretty clear. He doesn't think it's going to happen at all. I guess we could all be surprised. You know, there's, there's still a few weeks left to a Biden Administration. Perhaps somebody in the Biden Administration decides to make a last second push and, you know, declare a non-attainment zone in the Permian Basin, but the likelihood is low. Kenney certainly thinks that likelihood is very low. I think the other thing that he brought up when we were talking about this. He brought this up on his own, was his particular worry that instead of the Department of Justice working with the state of New Mexico, as the last few years to prosecute flagrant oil field violations, he worries that the Trump Administration will turn the Department of Justice against the state of New Mexico for the environmental regulations that the state is carrying out on its own, which should be a dramatic shift in the working relationship.
Anthony Moreno: If the EPA had acted sooner and designated the Permian Basin as a non-attainment area, what would happen in regards to regulating the pollution in that area?
Jerry Redfern: You know, it is the federal government it moves slowly, so it would be almost a year before the first steps would actually be taken. There's a series of legal letters back and forth that have to happen between the state and the federal government. A lot of talking, a lot of this, that and the other thing. But the upshot would be that there would be increased monitoring of oil and gas operations, likely increased fines for violations that are found at those oil and gas operations and from what I understood as well, if say a new operation of some sort would go in that non vent designated non-attainment zone, you'd have to find reductions elsewhere within the non-attainment zone, so that overall the emissions don't rise. So, you know, it sort of started out small in terms of monitoring and enforcement but continuing to crack down going forward.
Anthony Moreno: Your reporting brought you out to Loving, New Mexico. A place where the oil and gas industry is booming, and you were able to talk with people in the community about their thoughts on the industry and the pollution that comes along with it. What were some of the things that you are able to take away with those conversations?
Jerry Redfern: I think the biggest take away is just sadness. This has been going on for years. This is not a new story down. And most of these people I've spoken with have been trying to bring some sort of change for years as well and they just don't see that happening and they see the state agencies being hamstrung by budget constraints. They now see the federal government perhaps turning against what they're trying to get done. And I think they're just sort of depressed and sad, saddened by the whole bit. I mean, this is their hometowns and the cases of the people I'm speaking with and they're watching the air be degraded, the water be degraded and all of that. And it’s just a blow to the system one after the other.
Anthony Moreno: Jerry Redfern is an investigative reporter covering the oil and gas industry in New Mexico for Capital & Main. Jerry, thanks for joining us.
Jerry Redfern: Thank you, Anthony.
