Statements from Local Leaders

January 4, 2021 

I am the Reverend David Wilson Rogers of Carlsbad, New Mexico and I have been living in Eddy County for over 21 years. In this time I’ve seen—and appreciate—the economic value from the industry, but I have also seen its catastrophic destruction.

In 2019 I traveled to Madrid, Spain, to speak the United Nations Conference on Global Climate Change to speak about my community which is being overrun by largely unregulated, unmonitored, and uncontained methane release. It is no secret that this volatile gas is a climate bomb that is destroying our planet. Yet, in Madrid, I saw first-hand how the deep pockets of the wealthy Oil and Gas industry have befuddled both the public at large, and global governments with the lie that they have atmospheric pollution under control. I stated then, on a global stage, that a day would come when the bottom would fall out of the oil and gas market, and the inadequate governmental and industry infrastructure necessary to clean up the mess would be overwhelmed. Sadly, my prediction came true.

I also want to reference a September 20, 2020 New York Times article by Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist Hiroko Tabuchi who reported on the deceptive disconnect between what the industry knows it is doing, and what, in the motivation of pure profit, the industry intends to communicate. This well-funded marketing effort is covering up the vomitous expulsion of toxic gas in our atmosphere because it makes better short-term business profit to destroy the environment than invest the money necessary to save the planet from environmental collapse.

My point is simple. The proposed rule is a step in the right direction, but it does not go far enough. Known violators are allowed to continue violating without sufficient restrictions, and exceptions to the rule allow too many loopholes through which toxic emissions may continue to be allowed.


Thank You!

 January 4, 2021 

Hi, my name is Penny Aucoin. I want to thank you all for letting me speak today. I want to also thank you for everything you are doing to make our community and homes safe.  

I live here in Carlsbad, right in the middle of an oil field. When I came to Carlsbad there was just a handful of old mobile homes on my street with a huge empty field across the street. Now that field is filled with oil and gas operations.  Now my home feels like a war zone. 

We have had to deal with the noise of them drilling all day and night with no respite. We have had to deal with all the mice coming into our homes from that field while they were drilling. We have had to deal with all the trucks blocking our driveway and running us off the road. We have had to deal with gigantic flares lighting up the night and roaring so loud it left us wondering if they were going to blow up. We have had to deal with black oily stuff falling into our animals’ water from those same flares. And finally we have had to deal with a pipeline breaking and covering our land and home with toxic flowback water. 

I am so happy to see that you are making changes to help my home be a bit safer, but I feel that it is not enough. I have seen over and over again that oil and gas operators continue to harm us and our environment. Even if they are caught with leaks or spills they continue to operate in the same unsafe manner. I feel this is because there is not enough incentive for them to make diligent efforts to operate safely.  

I ask you today to keep unsafe operators from having the permits to continue drilling and operating unsafely. It is up to you to protect the lives of people who are living here. These are your neighbors and friends. We need your help in making sure we are safe. Thank you.

 

 

 

August 6, 2020

Citizens Speak Out at Draft Methane Rule Hearing  

Permian Basin, Four Corners Citizens concerned about weak draft rule, lax oversight of environmental protections and dangerous health impacts of ongoing oil and gas development 

 - CARLSBAD, N.M. – Today, a group of local citizens from across New Mexico expressed their concern over the draft methane and ozone rule recently put forth by the New Mexico Departments of Environment (NMED) and Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources (EMNRD). Public comments from the individuals are included below and were submitted as part of NMED and EMNRD’s “Draft Ozone Precursor and Methane Rule Listening Session,” that was held on Aug. 6. 

The group included faith leaders, medical professionals, and local residents impacted most by industry actions from Gallup, Carlsbad, and Albuquerque. They are part of the organizations New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light and Citizens Caring for the Future, a group of citizens in Southern New Mexico who support protecting air, water and public and safety in the Permian Basin Citizens expressed their concern over the weak draft methane and ozone rule, lax oversight of environmental protections and dangerous health impacts of ongoing oil and gas development. 

 Carlsbad area residents specifically noted their concern about the lack of ozone monitoring equipment, which, according to the New Mexico Environment Department, was missing 34 days of ozone data for the month of July – one of the hottest months and when high measurements are expected.

Joan Brown, Franciscan Sister and Executive Director of NM Interfaith Power and Light, Albuquerque, N.M.: “We appreciate the work of New Mexico Environment Department and we also understand limited personnel and budget constraints, but that is not an excuse for a rule with so many exemptions and loopholes that it deems the rule to be ineffective in addressing our challenges. “Our governor laid out a doable vision of strong national leading methane rules to benefit the health or our communities, address fiscal responsibility to our children and address climate justice. “Time is passing. As the book of Ecclesiates says, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” The time for strong methane pollution rules is now, and even this feels too late. “The concerns of this listening session at core should not be just about technical and financial concerns. At core we are here for human and Earth wellbeing. We care about our neighbors and sacred creation, land, air and waters.” 

Carl George, Carlsbad, N.M., (resident whose family was sprayed and property damaged by a wastewater spill in January 2020) “We live extremely close to 10 wells outside our front door and 4 wells to the back. The closest well is 250 paces from my door. Multiple well heads saturate our area. “We have expressed concerns about the lack of monitors, not knowing what chemicals are in our air, and lack of oversight, but it seems our voices are not being heard. We need strong a methane rule and other safeguards in our region to protect our health. I feel that these rules do not go far enough to really protect my community. “We need more monitoring stations, fencepost information that alerts residents to what they are breathing, and notification for citizens of bad air events. We also need to hold companies accountable for emissions from their sites and ID what's being emitted from the site. Well sites need to be checked regularly by someone other than the oil and gas company. And we need to create a victims’ advocate group for people who have been victimized by oil and gas.”

Anthony Cook, Community Health Worker, Citizens Caring for the Future, Carlsbad, N.M.: “Just growing up here I have seen how drastically the natural environment has changed and the air quality has changed for the worst. “Last year NMED and OCD traveled around the state to address methane regulations and the impacts on public health, yet an entire year later I’ve seen nothing to address the impacts on health. “Methane regulations are so poor but 95% of the wells are exempt. And not to mention for the last 30 days you’ve been unable to monitor the air quality in Eddy County, which is usually worse in the hotter times of the year. “When looking at state health data the Southeast region has some of the highest rates of childhood and adult asthma in the state as well as high ER visits for asthma attacks. And this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of potential health impacts to include but are not limited to cancers, chronic respiratory illness, health effects on the elderly and childhood development and pregnancy. “According to several studies, the Permian Basin now has the worst air quality in the nation and the Navajo refinery is one of the worst polluting refineries in the country. “Please correct me if I’m wrong but the Environment Department currently has no employees in the Permian to regulate industry actions. So, what is your response to this lax of oversight, how do you justify this lack of oversight, especially at the expense of local residents’ health. Is this what you would call equity, or caring, or protecting for the health of residents in the state?” 

Patricia Sheely, formerly worked at Indian Health Services, NM Interfaith Power and Light, Gallup, N.M.: “The NMED rule has too many exemptions from the rule, making it too weak to address the problems of health, climate, and waste of God's resources. “The OCD rules are good, but could be better. Leak detection and repair requirements should be extended. There needs to be more timely inspections. If the rules aren’t enforced, companies will not be motivated to comply with them. Venting should be banned except for emergencies. Flaring should occur only when absolutely necessary to protect health and safety.”

Rev. Gene Harbaugh, Citizens Caring for the Future, Carlsbad, N.M.: “Coupled with the practice of allowing companies to self-report, and the waiver of having to report anything under 15 tons of pollution, the regulations lack any meaningful way of checking pollution. “While county and city officials are often proponents of business and economic interests, they seem to have a priority at expressing their interests at most of the hearing that have taken place. I appreciate that this hearing has been one in which many regular citizens are able to express their voice. “A lot of our local people have no idea where to get information on air quality or where to find notification of poor air quality. “New Mexico NMED must do better. We need monitoring from the environment department on any new technology that has promise. Ozone monitoring was not collected for 34 days this summer when it was really most needed. Lea and Eddy County have some of the least air qualities in the country – we know that. So if we intend to lead the nation, as the governor promised, in protecting our environment, we just can’t look the other way, which is what these rules in some places appear to do.”

Pastor Nick King, Citizens Caring for the Future, Carlsbad, N.M.: “As even the oil producers would admit methane leaks and produced water spills are almost totally unregulated and creating chaos for even them. “We need: 1) an effective and reasonable rule for all producers, 2), third party monitoring, and 3), enforcement of basic and common-sense laws that protect the responsible oil producers as well as the public. “With self-reporting and no enforcement, we can all see basic mechanical problems that are not fixed to save a dime, the whole industry devolves into a race to the bottom with money – for them, the only metric that is considered. “That then becomes a crime against humanity, against nature, and against God. “We depend upon the government to do the right thing for the most people, and if you do not do that effectively, we have no hope but to pollute ourselves into annihilation.” Citizens Caring for the Future (CCFF) brings together Southeastern New Mexico community members who support protecting our air, water and public health and safety during the current oil and gas boom in the Permian. The organization seeks to find an informed and safe path to ensure protections for our community in the face of the health, safety and environmental dangers posed by rapid oil and gas development in Southeastern New Mexico. New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light (NMIPL) works for climate justice by mobilizing faith communities, faith leaders and people of faith to reduce the causes and consequences of global climate change through inspiration, education, outreach, implementation of sustainable practices and advocating effective climate protection policies. Our core belief is that the active care of the natural world is integral to spiritual life and social justice. 

 

 July 25. 2020

SPILLED MILK

By Gene Harbaugh

At my 80th birthday party a few years back, I dropped a bottle of wine which broke and made an awful mess. It seems I’ve become good at spilling everything from my milk, my coffee to you name it. Imagine, if you will, that I’m at my friend’s house for dinner and I knock over my milk. But, instead of offering to clean it up, I just explain to my friend’s wife that I have an exemption from cleaning up what I spill. So I ask her to just please clean it up for me. Now that wouldn’t be a very polite thing to do; especially if I wanted to be invited back to dinner again some time. Emily Post, who wrote the rules on good manners, would certainly frown on that sort of be behavior.

But, to push this imaginary scene a bit further, suppose that what I spilled at the table wasn’t just milk, but some very bad, foul smelling, toxic stuff that I’d brought along. And then, I said, “could you just clean that up for me?” That would be pretty bad behavior don’t you think?

Well, the fact is that the oil industry has spilled at our table over 1,500 times in the past couple of years. More than one spill a day, and it’s not milk! Rather, it’s mostly what they call “produced water” which contains some very bad stuff which they won’t identify. They say it’s a kind of “trade secret”. A quart of this stuff actually weighs more than a quart of fresh water. Penny Aucoin’s dog probably died from lapping up some of it after a water line broke near their home and sprayed the whole area with produced water this spring. But the “company” at the table just says, “you can’t prove that.” Pretty impolite wouldn’t’ you say?

But, here’s the really amazing thing: The oil industry has managed to get an exemption from “Emily Post” which says they don’t have to clean up what they spill; they only have to report it. So, every day, the folks who invited them to dinner get to clean up after them.

I don’t have any idea how much they paid “Emily Post” back in 1937 to get this sort of exemption from proper etiquette; but maybe it’s time we called up the folks at “Emily Post” who make the rules and let them know we don’t appreciate this kind of thing. Shouldn’t we expect more of “Emily Post” than this? I know how my mother would have handled a situation like this. At an early age, I knew that if I spilled my milk, I was certain to hear: “Go get a rag and clean that up.”