The West’s top three oil and gas producing states reported 8 spills a day in 2019

In recent years, oil and gas production has soared around the West, impacting land, clean air and water, and local communities. A new analysis by the Center for Western Priorities finds that oil and gas companies reported 2,811 spills in Colorado, Wyoming, and New Mexico in 2019, nearly eight per day. Across the three states, drillers reported spilling 23,600 barrels of oil and 170,223 barrels of produced water — salty wastewater often laced with toxic chemicals.

The number of reported spills has increased steadily in Wyoming and Colorado over the past few years, rising 31 percent in Wyoming since 2015, and 58 percent in Colorado since 2012. Companies in New Mexico reported 1,352 spills, by far the most of the three states. While this represents an 11 percent decrease from the year prior, companies reported releasing 812 million cubic feet of methane — more than three times the amount reported the year before.

In all three states, the majority of spills consisted of produced water and crude oil. In New Mexico and Colorado, the volume of produced water spilled increased by 11 percent and 122 percent, respectively, compared to the year before. In Wyoming, the amount of produced water spilled decreased significantly, while the volume of oil spilled increased by 3 percent. Colorado also saw a significant increase in the volume of oil spilled, compared to 2018. In New Mexico, reported methane emissions jumped by 228 percent, from 247,274,000 cubic feet in 2018 to 811,815,000 cubic feet in 2019.

In Wyoming, spills were spread throughout the state, with only three counties not experiencing any spills. Spills in New Mexico and Colorado were concentrated in specific parts of the state. New Mexico’s Eddy and Lea counties, located in the Permian Basin, accounted for 87 percent of all spills in the state, with 645 and 527 spills, respectively. In Colorado, 55 percent (349) occurred in Weld County.

In each state, the top five companies were responsible for over a third of all spills. While specific companies vary by state, they remain consistent over time.

Regulators in Colorado require oil and gas companies to report not only how much was spilled, but also how close it occurred to buildings and water sources. In 2019, 77 percent of spills were within a mile of surface water and 62 percent were within a mile of an occupied building.

Methodology:

The Center for Western Priorities analyzed publicly available data from Colorado and New Mexico, and requested data from Wyoming, on oil and gas-related spills reported between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019. This data provided information on location, number and volume of spills, cause, and operators responsible for the spills.

Visit our website for more information on spills in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming.

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