Board Co-Chair Testifies Before Senate Conservation Panel

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Madam Chair and Senators, thank you for this opportunity to speak. My name is Ruth Striegel. I’m on the board of New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light. Our organization and many people of faith around the state support Senate Bill 86.

Water is sacred in all religious and spiritual traditions. Without water, there is no life. We are draining the aquifer under SE NM at an alarming rate. Once the water is gone, it will take hundreds of years to replace it. I have visited the Carlsbad area and spoken to farmers who see their water being drained away for use in fracking.

Tracking produced water and creating enforceable consequences for spills are important steps in keeping local communities healthy, now and in the future. We must work to protect the most vulnerable among us. SE NM is a beautiful place and must not become a sacrifice zone.

Thank You

AN ACT

RELATING TO NATURAL RESOURCES; PROHIBITING CERTAIN USES OF FRESH WATER IN OIL AND GAS OPERATIONS; PROVIDING PENALTIES FOR THE SPILL OR RELEASE OF OIL, GAS OR PRODUCED WATER; CREATING THE OIL CONSERVATION DIVISION DATA COMPILATION FUND; DIRECTING THE OIL CONSERVATION DIVISION OF THE ENERGY, MINERALS AND NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT TO ADOPT RULES RELATING TO PRODUCED WATER AND NONDOMESTIC WASTES THAT ARE PROTECTIVE OF PUBLIC HEALTH, WORKER SAFETY AND NATURAL RESOURCES; REQUIRING THE TRACKING OF PRODUCED WATER; ALPHABETIZING DEFINITIONS AND ADDING DEFINITIONS FOR “FRESH WATER”, “WATER POLLUTION”, “RECYCLED WATER” AND “TREATED WATER” TO THE OIL AND GAS ACT; AMENDING THE PRODUCED WATER ACT TO CONFORM TO CHANGES IN THE OIL AND GAS ACT; CLARIFYING REQUIREMENTS FOR WATER QUALITY CONTROL COMMISSION RULEMAKING RELATED TO THE USE OF PRODUCED WATER OUTSIDE OF THE OIL FIELD.

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

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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: Drilling Threatens NM Water, Caves

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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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