methane intensity has dropped 76% in the Permian BasinThe Permian Basin in West Texas and southeastern New Mexico plays an important role in U.S. gas production. Forty percent of all oil production in the county and almost 15% of natural gas production occurs in the area,. However, the significant oil production in the Permian Basin creates challenges for the environment, specifically with methane created as a byproduct during the extraction and refining processes.
One of the traditional methods of dealing with the excess methane and other components is flaring, which means burning the excess natural gas. This process helps remove the methane, but also produces greenhouse gas emissions. Flaring is preferred to venting methane directly into the atmosphere, but it still has negative effects on the environment.
The Permian region hit peak flaring intensity in 2015 but has since dropped 68%. There was also a 60% decrease across the entire state of Texas from 2020 to 2021. The flaring reductions match national trends as the United States has decreased its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% from 2005 to 2020. Avoiding flaring requires significant infrastructure to capture and gather the excess gas for viable use. There are currently"numerous promising projects underway" in the Permian Basin, according to the report, including theThe Permian Basin and Texas have played an important part in supplying oil worldwide.