SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — State regulators in New Mexico are turning to the private sector for new tools including satellite data to detect and monitor methane pollution in a thriving zone for U.S. oil production.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday a collaborative effort with the data-crunching company Descartes Labs to use new technologies that can chart emissions of the potent heat-trapping gas.
Descartes Labs CEO Mark Johnson says his company is developing a data "refinery" that can chart industrial methane emissions using satellite imagery and other sensors.
New Mexico is scaling up regulation of methane as the Trump administration dials back its oversight.
A summit in Santa Fe on Thursday brought together oil industry executives, regulators and environmentalists to explore technical challenges in conserving methane.