Howdy, y’all!  This month we were in the media talking about methane emissions from the Permian to Japan, we were out in the field documenting more methane emissions and our data center emissions work continues to be part of the greater data center debate.

Media News

Jane Fonda was interviewed by the Hollywood Reporter about Gaslit. Gaslit recently won the award for Best Documentary at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

“I learned so much. I mean, starting at the very beginning, the extent to which methane is leaking absolutely rocked me. I had no idea. There’s this activist named Sharon Wilson who has a camera that you can look through and you can see what the naked eye can’t see, like gas. When I went down there, Sharon took me out to where there were these huge tanks. You look at the tanks and it’s like, what’s the problem? No problem: Sunny day, beautiful blue sky. And then you look through the camera [and there are] hundreds of feet high billowing clouds of methane.”

Bill Spindle spent time with Sharon in the Permian and wrote about the experience.They covered a lot of ground and Sharon once again points out that the problem with methane releases in the oil and gas industry is most of it is intentional – not “leaks.”

“We could live with the leaks, if that’s all there were,” Wilson says during a stop at a major gas processing plant. “It’s the intentional stuff that’s the real problem.”

Inside Climate News provided another update on the “higher-than-expected methane emissions” from U.S. oil and gas production and included insights from Charlie.

Charlie Barrett, a thermographer documenting oilfield emissions and pollution for the nonprofit organization Oilfield Witness, said he has not seen progress in New Mexico’s Permian Basin. He said flares are still commonplace.

He said the cumulative emissions from thousands of abandoned and operational wells in disrepair are significant. “These are small conventional wells, but they are emitting 24/7, 365 days a year,” he said. “They have been emitting for at least the four and a half years I’ve been going out there.”

Barrett said that as oil and gas production increases in New Mexico, emissions will continue to rise.

“How can you mitigate something when you continue to expand the industry?” he said. “The pace of climate change far outpaces our regulatory framework.”

More coverage in the Japanese media (Asahi) from our media tour in 2025.

Charlie’s latest op-ed was published in the Santa-Fe New Mexican.

“Strong protection comes only when we stop expanding pollution and remove the loopholes that let companies self-regulate. We need clear and strict rules that truly keep our air, water and land safe. This means lawmakers must choose bold actions over small fixes. New Mexicans should not be misled by promises of oversight that do not match what is happening on the ground.”

Charlie’s photos and videos of oil spills in the New Mexico oilfields have gotten a lot of attention this past year – from Wildearth Guardian’s top spills profiles to a feature in a major French newspaper. The New Mexico legislature had a hearing about banning drone photography in the oil fields which was covered in Capital & Main:

Barrett, an ecologist and thermographer with Oilfield Witness, has made a name for himself in recent years by finding and reporting oilfield spills across New Mexico.

“That visual data can be really useful,” Barrett said. “We’ve documented gathering line spills, and the only way we were able to see it was because we could see a big black stain on the soil” from a drone.

Fieldwork

Sharon took a group of Italian TV journalists on a tour of the Permian where they were horrified to see the realities of U.S. oil and gas production which they will report on for their Italian audience.

Daniella with ReCommon describing what she has seen in the Permian.

Charlie and Jack spent time in the New Mexico oilfields doing continuing education with thermography expert Tim Doty.

Jack and Tim documenting emissions

Datacenters

Last year we documented large emissions from the natural gas (methane) generators at the xAI facility in Memphis. As communities around the country deal with this same issue, our work continues to have an impact.

Radioactive Waste in Oil Industry

The issue of radioactive waste in the oil industry continues to gain attention. Saul Elbein wrote about the issue for The Barbed Wire and then credited Sharon for being one of the first to raise this issue.

Justin Nobel also wrote about the issue for Rolling Stone magazine and Sarah Stogner, a district attorney in the Permian region in Texas, published an op-ed about it. The issue needs a lot more attention.

James Hiatt Shares Some Wisdom

James Hiatt of For a Better Bayou talks about his time working at an oil refinery and why he now works to end fossil fuel use.  Please take a few minutes and listen to what he has to say.

Our Writing

Justin wrote about the challenges and opportunities facing Mexico as it addresses its growing energy needs.

When it comes to being able to harvest solar energy, Mexico won the lottery and is one of the best positioned countries in the world. And yet they are choosing to double down on gas. It is economic suicide.

Oilfield Fashion

Sharon was modeling the latest in oil industry apparel on her recent trip to the Permian.

– Till the end of oil

The Oilfield Witness Team