Athena Christodoulou Senate District 21 | Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
Passersby in Albuquerque witnessed a striking demonstration as an image was projected onto a building at 300 San Mateo, which houses the New Mexico State Taxation and Revenue Department. The projection displayed a ticker showing over $100 million worth of natural gas wasted by industry on public and tribal lands in New Mexico. Accompanying this were images of methane flares associated with oil and gas production. Methane itself is invisible to the naked eye but can be detected using infrared cameras.
This event coincides with Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke's decision not to hold public hearings on his proposal to revise the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 2016 Methane Waste Prevention Rule. This rule aims to reduce natural gas waste by requiring regular checks for leaking equipment among other measures. The public comment period on this rollback ends on April 23rd.
The demonstration was shared via Facebook Live by Camilla Feibelman and on Bells Visuals' Twitter feed, gaining thousands of views quickly.
Sister Joan Brown, Executive Director of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, commented on the timing: “What an appropriate time to project these images during the Easter Season and Passover... Capturing methane pollution is good stewardship." She highlighted BLM's analysis that repealing parts of the rule could result in wasting enough natural gas to heat 500,000 homes over ten years—enough energy for several major cities in New Mexico.
The waste ticker serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining the 2016 Methane Rule to minimize waste and safeguard taxpayer interests.
