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information & issues

Welcome to IPANM’s Information & Issues webpage!

IPANM is not afraid to take strong stances on many current issues threatening our industry. We have to! Seemingly minor changes to regulations or rules can have a major impact on the financial solvency of our small oil & gas producers. While we will never compromise on our duties to protect human health, fresh water and the environment in our daily activities, we will fight unnecessary government overreach when new regulatory proposals are not based on sound science and do little to protect the environment.

Below, we’ve identified serious issues facing our producers. Please click on the corresponding button to learn more about each issue and IPANM’s stance on the issue. (Note: Some of this content may be restricted for members only. To access this exclusive content, please join our association!)

Methane
Infrastructure
Hydraulic Fracturing
Produced Water
Cultural Properties
Royalties
Industry Benefits
Setbacks & Chaco Canyon
Administrative Penalties
Injection Wells
Endangered Species
Horizontal Drilling Rule
Drilling & Leasing
Spill Rule
Financial Assurance
Seismicity
Endangered Plants
Anti-Industry Politics

RECENT NEWS: All Issues

IEA: World Oil Demand Scaling To Record Highs
Oil & Gas Journal (August 15, 2023) - World oil demand is increasing to record highs, boosted by robust summer
LFC: Oil & Gas Will Supply HALF (50%) of New Mexico's General Fund Revenues By 2024
Carlsbad Current Argus (July 10, 2023) -  Oil and gas revenue was making up an increasing portion of New Mexico’s
IPANM: We Have Concerns Over Buffer Distances
New Mexico Sun (July 5, 2023) -- State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard recently signed a moratorium prohibiting oil and
Many Concerns Over Chaco's 10-Mile Buffer Order
Farmington Daily Times (June 12, 2023) FARMINGTON — A June 2 decision by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to
Proposed BLM Public Lands Rule Will Have Outsized Impact In New Mexico
ABQJournal (June 10, 2023) - A proposed rule under consideration by the Bureau of Land Management could help shape the
State Revenues Already Tracking for Huge Surplus Due to Oil & Gas
Santa Fe New Mexican (June 9, 2023) - Thanks in large part to a booming oil and gas industry, New
AUDIO STREAM: IPANM Discusses Setback Declarations on KKOB Radio
"Bufferzones Are Arbitrary" IPANM Executive Director Jim Winchester joined KKOB Radio Morning Host Scott Clark on Monday to discuss IPANM's position on
ABQJournal: Is Oil Leasing Ban Near Schools Really Warranted?
Based on what we know, it’s tough to tell if the executive order issued last week by Land Commissioner Stephanie
IPANM Issues Statement on Chaco Canyon 10-Mile Buffer Declaration
IPANM (June 2, 2023) - The following statement has been released by Jim Winchester, Executive Director of the Independent Petroleum
IPANM: SLO School Setback Moratorium Is Arbitrary
IPANM Releases Statement on SLO Leasing Moratorium Near Schools  IPANM (June 1, 2023) - The following statement has been released
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Hot Topics

Wildlife in the Oilfield
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Legal Challenges
Sign Up for Updates

 

Members

Join IPANM
Member Benefits
Map of Members
Password Reset

 

News

Oil & Gas Newsroom
Member Newsroom
Newsletters
Regulatory Updates

Annual Meeting

2025 Meeting Info
2025 Golf Outing
2025 Sponsors
Sponsor An Event

 

 

 

 

About IPANM

Who We Are
Our Board
Administrative Staff
Contact Us

Web Tools

Calendar
Memberzone
BillTrack 50
Facebook Page

Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico

IPANM Administrative Offices
P.O. Box 6101, Roswell, New Mexico, 88202
Bus. - 575-622-2566 | Fax. - 575-622-2566

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Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico

IPANM Administrative Offices
P.O. Box 6101, Roswell, New Mexico, 88202
Phone 575-622-2566

Search

Website designed by Siarza Social Digital

Natural Gas

WTI Crude Oil

Oil & Gas Journal (August 15, 2023) – World oil demand is increasing to record highs, boosted by robust summer air travel, increased utilization of oil in power generation, and surging Chinese petrochemical activity, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said its August Oil Market Report.

Global oil demand reached an all-time high of 103 million b/d in June, and there is potential for another peak in August. Following a period of subdued performance, demand from OECD countries was adjusted upwards for both May and June with overall consumption returning to growth in second-quarter 2023 after two quarters of contraction. Chinese demand was also stronger than expected, reaching new highs despite persistent concerns over the state of its economy.

According to IEA’s latest forecast, global oil demand is set to expand by 2.2 million b/d to 102.2 million b/d in 2023, with China accounting for more than 70% of growth. With the post-pandemic rebound slowing, and as lackluster economic conditions, tighter efficiency standards, and new electric vehicles weigh on use, growth is forecast to slow to 1 million b/d in 2024.

IEA: World Oil Demand Scaling To Record Highs

 

Carlsbad Current Argus (July 10, 2023) –  Oil and gas revenue was making up an increasing portion of New Mexico’s budget, as production in the Permian Basin boomed, even as state officials sought to diversify its economy away from its reliance on fossil fuels.

In its most recent revenue estimates published in May, the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) found that about half of General Fund revenue was tied to oil and gas, marking an increase from prior estimates that the industry accounted for about a third of the state’s budget.

Jim Winchester, president of fossil fuel trade group the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico (IPANM) said the recent reports of increased oil and gas revenue should send a message to lawmakers that the industry must be supported by state policy.

Winchester cited New Mexico as the second-highest oil producer in the U.S. and seventh-highest natural gas producer, arguing that 50 percent of oil growth in the U.S. came from the state.

“IPANM hopes the staggering $7 billion revenue number encourages government leaders, legislators, and communities to do everything possible to protect our safe and responsible oil & gas production,” Winchester said.

“While we agree state economic diversification is critical for stabilizing revenues, let’s acknowledge the enormous benefits that $7 billion dollars brings to the overall well-being of New Mexicans through funding of education, public safety, healthcare, and social programs.”

Carlbad Current Argus Article:  About half of New Mexico’s budget is reliant on the oil and gas industry, report says

 

IPANM (June 1, 2023) – Economic prosperity for the State of New Mexico rides on the back of the Oil & Gas industry, as the Legislative Finance Committee’s 2023 Post-Session Fiscal Review articulates.  The report, released Thursday, indicates more than 50% of New Mexico’s General Fund revenues will come from (an estimated $7 Billion for FY2024) will come from New Mexico’s Oil & Gas Industry.

“The LFC report reflects the estimated increased production gains we will continue to see for oil & gas in New Mexico in this next year,” said IPANM Executive Director Jim Winchester.

“IPANM hopes the staggering $7 Billion revenue number encourages government leaders, legislators, and communities to do everything possible to protect our safe and responsible oil & gas production.”

“With our status as the #2 producing oil state and the #7 natural gas producing state in the country, coupled with the recent federal findings that 50% of oil growth in the United States in 2022 came directly from New Mexico production, our state cannot afford to be pushed too quickly into the energy transition.”

“While we agree state economic diversification is critical for stabilizing revenues, let’s acknowledge the enormous benefits that $7 Billion dollars brings to the overall well-being of New Mexicans through funding of education, public safety, healthcare, and social programs.”

See the LFC chart below that is included in the LFC report.  The oil & gas revenue coming into the state, including money to the state permanent fund (the blue line) shows more than 50% of New Mexico’s General Fund Revenues (nearly $7 Billion estimated for FY2024) coming from oil and gas. The windfall already allowed the New Mexico State Legislature to pass a record $9 Billion budget this past legislative session, which is now on a pathway to continue to increase.

The report summarizes the upward revenue trend.  The report reads on Page 3,  “The state’s oil production continues to reach new records, with associated gas production further propelling New Mexico’s energy bonanza. Recovery in the oil and gas industry accounted for over two-thirds of the increase in expected general fund revenues in the December 2022 consensus revenue update.”

The LFC report also indicates that next year the state could also see another multi-billion dollar budget surplus if oil & gas prices remain at current levels.

 

 

 

New Mexico Sun (July 5, 2023) — State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard recently signed a moratorium prohibiting oil and gas drilling within 1 mile of schools, other educational facilities and daycare facilities. The moratorium prevents new leases from being issued for drilling operations in areas that could affect schools and children.

“It’s my deep honor and privilege to be able to make this commitment to the students of New Mexico, that their health and their access to clean air and water is a right that we should be protecting with our policies,” Garcia Richard said in announcing the moratorium.

The moratorium comes after the commissioner received letters from community members in the Four Corners and the southeastern part of the state voicing concerns about pollution near their childrens’ schools. Garcia Richard also heard from environmental advocacy groups including the Center for Biological Diversity and Citizens Caring for the Future reporting concern.

Jim Winchester, executive director of Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico, said there are questions about the scientific validity of some of the arguments in Garcia Richard’s decision.

“IPANM agrees that safe and reasonable setbacks are necessary between certain production sites and schools, however, we have concerns that the distance to be enforced under the State Land Office’s assumed discretionary authority is arbitrary and isn’t based on any definitive evidence of health impacts,” Winchester said in a statement he provided to the New Mexico Sun.

“While it would have been appropriate for the state land commissioner to consult with industry before issuing this order carte blanche, we will work with her office on a case-by-case basis if there are particular tracts of land that might otherwise be safely and responsibly developed to provide critical revenues to improve New Mexico’s schools,” he added.

New Mexico Sun:  Concerns Over SLO Buffer

Farmington Daily Times (June 12, 2023) FARMINGTON — A June 2 decision by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to withdraw public lands within a 10-mile radius of Chaco Culture National Historic Park from new oil and gas leasing and mining claims for 20 years has drawn both positive and negative reactions from various groups affected by the order.

The order applies only to public lands and the federal mineral estate, not to minerals owned by private, state or tribal entities, according to a news release announcing the order. Nor does the order apply to existing leases, meaning additional wells could continue to be drilled on those leases, and Navajo Nation allotees can continue to lease their minerals.

The order makes good on a pledge by President Joe Biden to protect the greater Chaco area during a November 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit.

Jim Winchester, executive director of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico, characterized the 10-mile buffer zone “arbitrary” and said the order was “discompassionate” to the Native allottees it will affect. He claimed they will lose out on an estimated $194 million in potential royalties, according to figures cited by the Western Energy Alliance, and described the move as a capitulation to environmental groups that want to ban oil and gas drilling.

Winchester also said his organization has supported the Navajo Nation’s proposed five-mile buffer around the park and described Haaland’s order as highly unethical, claiming she has a conflict of interest because of her daughter’s political activism.

Farmington Daily Times:  Criticism, Praise Directed At Chaco 10-Mile Buffer Order

 

ABQJournal (June 10, 2023) – A proposed rule under consideration by the Bureau of Land Management could help shape the future of Otero Mesa, the greater Chaco Canyon area and 13 million acres overseen by the federal agency in New Mexico.

And time is running out for the public to weigh in.

The agency is accepting public comment on the proposed public lands rule through June 20 — with a final decision expected in March next year.

The Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico called the rule a “highly flawed proposal” that should be withdrawn.  “By elevating conservation above all other uses,” Jim Winchester, the group’s executive director, said Thursday, “the BLM violates its own statutory requirements to balance multiple uses of public lands.”

Proposed BLM Public Lands Rule Will Have Outsized Impact In New Mexico

 

 

Santa Fe New Mexican (June 9, 2023) – Thanks in large part to a booming oil and gas industry, New Mexico’s unprecedented revenue windfall is exceeding expectations by more than a half-billion dollars.

Revenues for fiscal year 2023, which ends June 30, are tracking about $581 million above December estimates, according to a presentation to lawmakers Thursday.

“Interestingly enough, a recent survey from the Tax Policy Center came out and showed that New Mexico was estimating the largest revenue growth in the country at about 15%, and the next-largest estimate was half of that,” Ismael Torres, the Legislative Finance Committee’s chief economist, told legislators on the interim Revenue Stabilization and Tax Policy Committee.

State Revenues Tracking Higher

 

Based on what we know, it’s tough to tell if the executive order issued last week by Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard banning new oil and gas leases on state trust land within a mile of schools is an environmental safeguard of substance, or a solution in search of a problem.

Garcia Richard said her June 1 order demonstrates a “commitment to the students of New Mexico today — that their health, their access to clean air and water is a right that we should be protecting with our policies.”

We certainly agree protecting the health of children is a paramount priority. But…..

ABQJournal: Is Oil Leasing Ban Near Schools Really Warranted?

 

 

IPANM (June 2, 2023) – The following statement has been released by Jim Winchester, Executive Director of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico regarding the Department of Interior’s decision to enforce a 10-mile buffer zone drilling moratorium around Chaco Canyon:

“The arbitrary 10-mile boundary imposed around Chaco Canyon announced today is discompassionate to generations of Navajo Allottees — many living in poverty — who will now lose out an estimated $194 million in potential royalties; is indifferent to the pleas of the Navajo Nation against a blatant government taking; is complete capitulation to pressure from outside environmental groups who simply want to outright ban all oil & gas drilling; and, is highly unethical due to Secretary Deb Haaland’s own family conflict of interest due to her daughter’s local political activism.

IPANM has long supported responsible oil & gas development around culturally sensitive sites, including support for a 5-mile buffer around Chaco Canyon which offers a natural geologic barrier of environmental protection, recognizes the culturally sacred nature of the site, and safeguards historic structures against potential physical damage.”

–Jim Winchester
Executive Director, Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico

IPANM:  Arbitrary 10-Mile Chaco Buffer Arbitrary & Discompassionate

Western Energy Alliance:  Despite Conflict of Interest, Interior Secretary Issues Legally Vulnerable Chaco Decision

Power The Future:  Haaland Order The Latest Hit in Biden War on Energy

 

IPANM Releases Statement on SLO Leasing Moratorium Near Schools 

IPANM (June 1, 2023) – The following statement has been released by Jim Winchester, Executive Director of the Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico regarding the State Land Commissioner’s announcement related to leasing moratoriums on certain state lands:

“IPANM agrees that safe and reasonable setbacks are necessary between certain production sites and schools, however, we have concerns that the distance to be enforced under the State Land Office’s assumed discretionary authority is arbitrary and isn’t based on any definitive evidence of health impacts.  While it would have been appropriate for the State Land Commissioner to consult with industry before issuing this order carte blanche, we will work with her office on a case-by-case basis if there are particular tracts of land that might otherwise be safely and responsibly developed to provide critical revenues to improve New Mexico’s schools.”

–Jim Winchester
Executive Director, IPANM