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

 

Making Our Voices Heard at State Hearings on Methane Waste

We have worked for years to get methane rules to address methane pollution that affects the health and environment in NM. At the start of 2021, we have been offered the opportunity to make our voices heard.  

This week, the  State Oil Conservation Commission began two weeks of remote online hearings for the proposed rules to reduce methane waste in the oil and gas industry.  

 Under the state's proposed rule, oil and gas operators would need to meet a 98% gas capture rate by the end of 2026 under the proposed rule.  Some environmental organizations argue that six years is too long of a period to reduce emissions. 

Citizens Caring for the Future and New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light have encouraged members and supporters to participate in these hearings and add to these concerns.

"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," said Rev. David Wilson Rogers of Carlsbad.

"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, said Penny Aucoin, a resident of Otis, N.M., just outside of Carlsbad. 

You can find the full comments from Rev. Wilson Rogers and Penny Aucoin on this site. We will be adding other comments as we receive them.

 In the meantime, read coverage of the hearings in The Albuquerque Journal,  The Carlsbad  Current Argus,  and The Santa Fe New Mexican.  We will also post updated media coverage in the next couple of weeks.

Urge Governor to Close Methane Loopholes

Methane Voices - Nick King

 Nick King sees the air he breathes, the water he drinks, and the land beneath his feet as a gift from God. He sees the risks to these gifts all around his hometown of Carlsbad. He wants the oil and gas industry to be better regulated and our economy to rely less on one source of income.

 Long-awaited draft methane and air pollution rules are being considered now.

 Analysis estimates about 95% of wells would be exempt under the current draft. Reducing oil and gas air pollution is critical to protect our health, air, and our climate.

 Urge Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to close the loopholes by signing the petition today.

Map of Federal and State Lands

Federal and State Land Management in New Mexico 

Light yellow = BLM lands (surface management) Blue = state trust lands 

Source: NM State Land Office Land Status Map

Quick Facts: Scope of Oil and Gas Leasing and Development (and Spills/Leaks) on Public Lands in New Mexico

WELC panel at CCFF Meeting, September 8th, 2020 

 I. Overview of Public Lands in New Mexico and the Permian  

 A. Federal: BLM  

 The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), part of the Department of the Interior, manages oil and gas on federal public lands in New Mexico. The New Mexico office, encompassing New Mexico, Kansas, and Oklahoma, oversees 45 million acres of mineral estate and more than 2 million acres of Native American mineral estate.  

 • Permian: The BLM Pecos District Office oversees the Carlsbad and Roswell Field Offices and the Hobbs Field Station. The Pecos District Office encompasses over 3.5 million acres of public lands and over 7 million acres of Federal mineral estate.  

 o The Carlsbad Field Office is especially relevant here, as it will be issuing a final Resource Management Plan for public comment/protest soon.  

  The Carlsbad Field Office Planning Area covers 6.2 million acres, of which 2.1 million surface acres and 2.7 million subsurface acres are BLM-administered.  

  Covers Lea, Eddy, Chaves counties 

CCFF Zoom Presentation, September 8, 2020

Citizens Caring for the Future, Presentation on Zoom, September 8, 2020

Video of Produced Water Forum, July 23, 2020

NMIPL, Citizens Caring for the Future (CCFF) and Earthworks hosted a virtual conversation on a state proposal to reuse liquid wastewater from the oil and gas industry for irrigation and discharge to rivers.