New Mexico regulators finalized rules to nearly eliminate routine natural gas flaring, making it the second state in the US to ban the practice, as operators in the Permian Delaware burned off more than 200 MMcf/d of gas in 2020 despite production shut-ins. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now The New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission finalized the rules to eliminate venting and flaring at new and existing wells across the state on March 25. Routine flaring occurs when operators burn off gas produced from oil-directed wells instead of capturing it because of limitations in gathering and processing capacity. New Mexico joins Colorado in becoming the first states in the Lower 48 to end flaring. “Commencing April 1, 2022, the operator shall reduce the annual volume of vented and flared natural gas in order to capture no less than 98 percent of the natural […]