Media Contact:
Rebekah Staub, Permian-Gulf Communications Manager, rstaub@earthworks.org
WASHINGTON—Crude oil production in the Permian Basin is the driver behind the Energy Information Administration’s recent forecast that crude oil production in the United States will increase to new records in 2023 and 2024.
Permian oil production has grown in lockstep with Gulf Coast crude exports, and the subsequent infrastructure needed to expand the U.S.’ capacity to export fossil fuels disproportionately harms communities of color and low-income communities. The Texas Permian Basin is currently the number one climate polluter in the world, with the New Mexico Permian in the eighth spot.
Statement from Sharon Wilson, Senior Field Advocate at Earthworks:
“If the Biden Administration was serious about this climate emergency, they would stop giving polluters in the Permian the power to poison air, land, and water. There are no plans in Texas, the number one climate polluter in the world, to stop fossil fuel growth. It is more pertinent than ever for the Biden Administration to step up and take concrete action to phase out federal fossil fuel production and stop increasing fossil fuel exports.”
