Colorado's Energy and Carbon Management Commission recently flagged falsified emissions data for 344 oil wells submitted by corporate giants Chevron and Oxy via their contractors. Another company, Civitas, also filed an unnamed number of false reports. Civitas claims to be "Colorado's first carbon-neutral oil and gas producer."
"This highlights the whole problem of our regulatory agency relying on operator-reported data," climate policy analyst for 350 Colorado Heidi Leathwood told the Guardian. "The public needs to know that they are really being put at risk by these carcinogens."
What's happening?
Oil companies in Colorado are required by law to report emissions data on their wells to ensure they fall within healthy ranges for the community and local ecology. The ECMC is the body that makes rules for oil and gas production and engages in enforcement as necessary based on incoming reports.
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The challenge here is that oil companies are self-reporting. Moreover, their use of contractors to generate that data provides a buffer of plausible deniability in cases like this.
Why is emissions reporting important?
Enforcing environmental regulations depends on reliable data. "ECMC's regulatory workflow is grounded in an expectation that people abide by the law, with reasonable measures in place to ensure that to be the case," wrote Kristin Kemp, the ECMC's community relations manager. "But if we determine we can no longer rely broadly on receiving accurate information, we'd need action — and the scope and scale of that action will be determined by what we learn during the ongoing investigation."
What's being done about falsified emissions reporting in Colorado?
"When Chevron became aware of this fraud, it immediately launched an investigation into these incidents and continues to cooperate fully and work closely with the Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission," Chevron spokesperson Paula Beasley told the Guardian via email. "Chevron is shocked and appalled that any third-party contractor would intentionally falsify data and file it with state officials."
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One of the contractors for Oxy, Tasman Geosciences, said data disparities were minor and that they have filed legal action against the former employee who submitted the data. The state could sentence any consultant who forged official documents to three years in prison and up to $100,000 in fines.
Elsewhere, California is increasing requirements on corporate emissions reporting. Steps like this can prevent problems like Colorado is seeing. If you'd like your state to do the same, be sure to vote for a pro-climate candidate in your next elections.
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