New Mexico Rule Requires Oil, Gas Operators to Cut Emissions (1)

Oil and gas companies in New Mexico will have to reduce harmful emissions to improve air quality under a new requirement, the state Environment Department announced Thursday.

The new rule passed by the state’s Environmental Improvement Board aims to lower the organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen that are precursors to ozone. Although the gas makes up the protective ozone layer that absorbs most ultraviolet rays in the atmosphere, breathing in ground-level ozone can cause breathing issues, asthma attacks, and even early death, according to the American Lung Association.

The air quality improvements mean oil and gas corporations will ...