(The Center Square) – Another report shows a consistent pattern: as record oil production occurs in the Permian Basin and other key oil fields in Texas, flaring intensity continues to drop, improving environmental outcomes.
In its annual flaring report, Texans for Natural Gas is pointing to consistent findings in recent years: as oil production increases, flaring and methane emissions are decreasing, and by record amounts.
“The level of flaring reductions the industry has been able to accomplish over the past five years is very significant, in some regions it’s been nearly halved,” said Ed Longanecker, president of the Texas Independent Producers & Royalty Owners Association, which launched the Texans for Natural Gas campaign. “Achievements to that degree don’t just happen. It’s proof that the industry’s commitment to the environment wasn’t just a talking point, but rather clear action in the way it operates and invests in its business.”
The analysis found that as production grew by 8%, U.S. flaring intensity declined by 45 %, falling from 3.86 cubic meter to barrel (m³/bbl) in 2019 to 2.12 m³/bbl in 2024. Much of the progress was driven by Texas producers, including in the Permian Basin. Overall, Texas saw a 50% reduction in flaring intensity between 2019 and 2024. This includes production in Texas’ portion of the Permian Basin and the Haynesville, Eagle Ford and Barnett shales.
The Permian Basin, which includes far west Texas and parts of southeastern New Mexico, reported a 62% reduction in flaring intensity over the same time period. Both regions broke production records in 2024 and in 2025, The Center Square reported.
The data used to analyze the findings came from a range of sources, including the World Bank’s global flaring and methane analysis, Enverus 2024 Permian and Texas flaring volumes and production data, and Energy Information Administration 2025 production data.
Production volumes in the Permian Basin and Texas shales exceeded that of many major oil-producing Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, Iraq, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. Permian operators produced 6.3 million barrels per day (b/d) of crude last year.
In 2024, Texas operators broke records producing more than two billion barrels of oil for the first time in history.
Early 2025 production data points to Texas producers surpassing 2.1 billion barrels.
According to EIA data, Permian crude production accounts for 48% of all U.S. oil production; Eagle Ford Shale production accounts for 9%.
“U.S. crude oil production grew by 3%, or 350,000 b/d, in 2025, setting a new annual production record of 13.6 million b/d,” led by Texas, according to the EIA’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook. This was as the rig count was down by 5% last year in Texas and nationwide and 1% fewer wells were drilled in 2024.
The reason for the increase, the EIA notes, is industry efficiency.
Industry efficiency and ingenuity, including technological improvements and infrastructure development have all contributed to flaring intensity decreasing as production increased, TIPRO and others note. While breaking production records, operators have nearly halved flaring intensity since 2019, according to multiple reports, The Center Square reported. Major pipeline projects like the Gulf Coast Express, Permian Highway Pipeline and Matterhorn Express have also contributed to reduced flaring. The pipelines are moving massive amounts of energy products east, expanding natural gas takeaway capacity and reducing flaring during production, TIPRO notes.
“Between 2023 and 2024, Permian Basin production grew by 6 percent, while flaring intensity dropped nearly 10 percent and volumes fell 4 percent. The drop in flaring intensity and volume is largely due to additional pipeline takeaway capacity coming online,” the analysis notes.
The findings follow similar reports published in the last few years.
Last fall, an S&P Global analysis found that methane emissions intensity for upstream oil and natural gas operations in the Permian Basin declined by more than 50% in two years, The Center Square reported.
Last spring, Texans for Natural Gas published an analysis showing that Permian methane intensity declined by 83% between 2011 and 2023, while flaring intensity in the basin was 65% lower in 2023 compared to 2015, The Center Square reported.
“Record production output across the United States, supported in major part by the hardworking people in Texas and the Permian Basin, highlights our industry’s ability to meet rising global energy demand, secure energy supplies and provide a stabilizing force to an otherwise volatile global energy market,” Longanecker said.
