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As President Joe Biden was sworn into office Wednesday, his inauguration signaled a dramatic shift in environmental policy and impacts to the oil and gas industry.
A group of congresspeople urged the incoming administration to enact tougher restrictions on air pollution created by oil and gas production.
The group of 23 Senate Democrats were led by Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico in penning a letter to Biden calling for the restoration of strict regulations on methane emissions from fossil fuel operations following multiple rollbacks of such regulations under former-President Donald Trump.
More: ‘Biden ban’ on federal oil and gas leasing could cost New Mexico, U.S. economies billions
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New Mexico’s and the world’s oil and gas industry saw dramatic fluctuations in 2020 as the COVID-19 health crisis led to travel and business restrictions that brought on an historic decline in fuel demand and the value of fossil fuels.
The industry appeared on the mend in recent months as a vaccine for COVID-19 drew closer to becoming available, and oil prices began to recover.
But Earthworks Field Advocate Nathalie Eddy said one thing hasn’t changed: pollution.
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As a registered thermographer with the national environmental group, Eddy recently took part in a field study of the Permian Basin region using forward looking infrared (FLIR) cameras to document potentially illegal or uncontrolled emissions from oil and gas sites in southeast New Mexico.