NMED
WOTUS rule offers certainty, but little clarity for New Mexico waters
Federal environmental officials modified their rules last week to comply with a Supreme Court decision brought down in May. Meanwhile, state officials are waiting for more guidance from federal agencies around New Mexico’s waters and will continue the push for funding for a state permitting program in the upcoming legislative session. Under the new rule […]
New Mexico senate committee rushes debate on money earmarked for dead bill
An energy bill that died in the New Mexico House of Representatives at the request of the All Pueblo Council of Governors was partially resurrected Wednesday in a Senate Finance Committee hearing that debated — after a fashion — what to do with $50 million previously set aside for the dead bill. But one would be […]
Proposed legislation would dramatically alter New Mexico’s principal oil and gas law
Three bills proposed for the New Mexico legislative session would shift the state’s focus on the oil and gas industry by emphasizing public safety and environmental protections, denying permits and increasing penalties for companies in violation of the law, and making it easier for citizen groups to sue scofflaw operators. The measures would dramatically redirect the […]
Oil and gas operator pays millions for Clean Air Act violations
A recent agreement between an environmental group and an oil and gas company that dramatically cuts excess oilfield pollution at a facility in southern New Mexico could be a model both for quicker resolutions to pollution violations and a legal roadmap for private groups looking to hold fossil fuel companies to account under the Clean […]
As EPA fails to fine oil and gas polluters, New Mexico officials demand answers
New Mexico officials are asking the federal government to explain why it decided not to impose fines on oil and gas producers it caught violating the Clean Air Act in the state. In May, Capital & Main reported that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that 24 companies had 111 leaks from wells and other equipment, following an […]
Judge: Cannon Air Force Base is subject to NM’s hazardous waste laws
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Cannon Air Force Base last week that challenged demands for the base to clean up PFAS contamination in New Mexico. The case was dismissed without prejudice and can still be heard in state court, according to the ruling. Spreading pollution is threatening groundwater sources in and around the […]
New Mexico’s pandemic oil and gas plan aided a Putin pal and Trump donor
Back in 2020, as oil and gas prices tanked because of the COVID crisis, New Mexico implemented an emergency program that would allow oil and gas producers to temporarily stop production and shut down wells for up to three years without penalty. The state’s Oil Conservation Division created the program so that companies could bank […]
EPA announces toxic ‘forever chemicals’ are far more dangerous than previously thought
The Environmental Protection Agency announced this week it takes far less exposure to two widespread toxic chemicals to endanger people’s health. This advisory could impact cleanup of plumes of the chemicals already found in New Mexico water sources. The chemicals are two well-known PFAs — shorthand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. PFAs don’t break down […]
Why won’t the EPA fine New Mexico’s greenhouse gas leakers?
In the fall of 2019, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hired a helicopter equipped with a leak-detecting infrared camera to criss-cross the Permian Basin looking for gaseous emissions, part of a monitoring program undertaken at the behest of and in partnership with the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). Over the course of nine days, the EPA […]
Straddling the divide between environmental action and energy revenue
COUNSELOR, New Mexico — Bright pink flags mark a swath of newly cleared land, rubber water hoses snake along the roadside and pump jacks dot the horizon, all signs of the state’s growth as an oil and gas hub. But even as production expands across New Mexico, the state is trying to shrink its global […]
New Mexico legislators punt on money for oil and gas inspectors
New Mexico has fewer than 20, on a good day. They are field inspectors — the people who check each state’s oil and gas wells in person for leaks and compliance issues. And New Mexico, the No. 2 oil producing state in the U.S. and No. 7 in natural gas, has fewer than other states, particularly when considering the size of the job before them. Oklahoma parallels New Mexico in natural gas production. All trail New Mexico in oil production.
Hundreds of abandoned uranium mines in NM could be cleaned up if lawmakers approve legislation
A bill in the Legislature would mobilize state government to finally clean up a reported 1,100 uranium mining, milling and drilling sites that are contaminating state and tribal lands and waters. The legislation would direct the New Mexico Environment Department to coordinate efforts to clean and reclaim the sites. It’s a matter complicated by overlapping […]