Senate Judiciary Committee to Hear 'Produced Water' Bill

SB86, which would prohibit use of freshwater for fracking and require prevention of dangerous leaks, is in Senate Judiciary Committee today, Monday, February 15.

Please email the committee email address and key committee members  and ask them to support SB86. Here are talking points.

Contact Senate Judiciary Committee Members.

 

'Where Does Toxic Waste Go?'

Edgar from ProgressNow New Mexico posted this video on TicTok asking relevant questions  about produced water and disposal of toxic waste from oil and gas operations in New Mexico. The video was created in  support of Senate Bill 86 to protect our water.

 #nm #greenscreen #voiceover #libs #dems #TurboTaxLivePick6 #fracking #conservation #oilandgas

@progressnownewmexico

Support SB 86 to protect our water. #nm #greenscreen #voiceover #libs #dems #TurboTaxLivePick6 #fracking #conservation #oilandgas

♬ original sound - PROGRESSNOWNM

Virtual Town Hall Examines Oil & Gas Issues in SE New Mexico

Community members from Citizens Caring for the Future (CCFF) in Southeast New Mexico shared their experiences on bringing their voices to statewide policy discussions on oil and gas – addressing air emissions, waste issues and lack of publicly accessible information. 

National Geographic: Oil drilling on sensitive New Mexico public lands puts drinking water, rare caves at risk

A National Geographic investigation has found that Permian Basin energy exploration could taint residential aquifers with pollutants—as well as Carlsbad Caverns and other cave systems.

Here are excerpts of an article by Jennifer Oldham (February 3, 20201)

"A National Geographic investigation found that the Trump Administration’s push to open these public lands for energy exploration puts Carlsbad Caverns, scores of other caves in New Mexico, and aquifers that supply drinking water to tens of thousands of homeowners at risk of contamination.

What’s more, the threat to the region’s unique cave ecosystems and aquifers isn’t likely to recede during President Joe Biden’s administration.

As he promised during his campaign, Biden on January 27 paused new oil and natural gas leasing on federal lands, in order to undertake a “comprehensive review “of the nation’s fossil fuels program. The pause only affects new development, however. It does not stop companies from drilling on existing leases, and it allows agencies to continue to approve permits for additional drilling there. 

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Community Meeting on Oil & Gas Issues in NM Legislature

This will be a training and discussion open to everyone. CCFF Community members will share their experiences bring their SE voice to state-wide policy discussions on oil and gas - addressing air emissions, waste issues and lack of publicly accessible information.

Agenda:
- how to get engaged in the 2021 NM legislative session (how & when to provide comments online or just listen in)
- what are the bills related to oil and gas, enforcement and the environment?
- we'll share brief fact sheets for folks who are interested 

Article Illustrates Plight of Residents of 'Waste Zone' in Permian Basin

An article in the news site Capital and Main on Jan. 28 (reprinted by the New Mexico Political Report) illustrates the challenges facing residents of a stretch of southeastern New Mexico dotted with  dotted with drilling pads and tank batteries that hold and pump oil and natural gas.

"About 129,000 people live amid more than 20,000 wells actively churning out oil and gas in this panthecake-flat stretch of the Chihuahuan Desert. Despite state regulations that require operators to report accidents, what triggered them, and how much oil, gas and water were lost or spilled, it’s not clear operators always file those reports," said the article

Here are more excerpts

"Oilfield work is inherently dangerous. Extraction, heavy construction and transportation all play integral parts in the oil and gas industry, and all rank among the country’s most dangerous jobs according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In March 2020, two men were electrocuted and died while working with a forklift in the rain on a pad site south of Malaga. COG, a subsidiary of Concho Resources – which was recently purchased by ConocoPhillips for $13.3 billion – operates the site.

But the dangers don’t end at the edge of the drilling pad.

Throughout the Permian Basin, there are many families like the Gonzaleses, whose homes and ranches are surrounded by drilling operations. Sometimes the pipes carrying gas and oil and contaminated water run right through people’s yards."  

Read full article