SANTA FE – New Mexico environmental regulators have issued citations against natural gas processing plants on allegations they vastly exceeded permitted air pollution limits while burning off excess natural gas.

The New Mexico Environment Department on Tuesday announced compliance orders against plant operators DCP Operating Co. and Energy Transfer Partners with potential fines in excess of $7 million.

The agency says that four facilities operated by DCP in southeast New Mexico were cited for emitting more than 1.6 million pounds of pollutants between May 2017 and August 2018. Energy Transfer Partners was cited for emitting approximately 3.1 million pounds of pollutants in excess of permit limits at one plant between January 2017 and August 2018.

The agency said the excess pollutants may contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone and other hazardous air-quality conditions.