Mexico’s oil and gas regulator, the National Hydrocarbons Commission, has called on the state oil giant Pemex to reduce the flaring of natural gas in its oil fields.

The ruling is among the first to be issued by the newly formed hydrocarbons commission, the only body independent of Pemex to oversee the oil monopoly’s so-called upstream exploration and production operations.

Though the commission, which is part of the Energy Ministry, issued a binding resolution, it is not empowered to levy fines or take other enforcement action.

The commission’s Nov. 25 ruling calls for gas flaring to be reduced to 2% of total natural-gas production by 2012 and to no more than 0.6% by 2024. The current rate is 17%.

Pemex has increased flaring in recent years as its oilfields have become depleted, producing more gas. The company burns off approximately 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily, sending large quantities of greenhouse emissions into the atmosphere.