AUSTIN Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil & Gas Association, on Friday issued the following statement:
“The decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to not pursue designation of the Permian Basin as a non-attainment area for the ozone standard is the correct one. The wide-open spaces of West Texas and Eastern New Mexico are home to the oil and natural gas that fuel our economy and enhance modern life. Carbon dioxide, methane, and other related emissions have been declining substantially over the last few years and operators are focused on continued good environmental stewardship. In fact, oil produced in the Permian Basin is among the cleanest in the world according to its lower carbon intensity. Excessive government regulation is unnecessary and stifles affordable and reliable energy supplies. The oil and natural gas industry remains committed to making smart choices to improve air quality in this region and deliver the resources that are indispensable to our state, nation, and world.”
State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, was informed late Thursday that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now backing off of its plans to indirectly restrict Texas oil and natural gas production through a non-attainment designation of portions of the Texas Permian Basin.
“This is a massive win for the Permian Basin, Texas, the United States, and anywhere else where people need energy and love freedom,” Landgraf said in a news release Thursday. “There were reports that the EPA was going to indirectly shut down the Permian Basin without any air monitoring data from Texas. Thankfully, we have leaders in this state who are willing to step up and fight when a bully shows up.”
In June of 2021, citing data obtained from air quality monitors in New Mexico, the EPA announced its intention to consider redesignating the Texas portion of the Permian Basin as a “non-attainment” area – an area that does not meet the standards of the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS).
If finalized, this proposal would have resulted in further regulatory burdens on the oil and gas industry in the Permian Basin that could slow production, reduce supply and cut jobs. For reasons that have not yet been made public, on Wednesday the EPA omitted the policy from its agenda of planned regulations, deeming the measure inactive.
