Contacts:
Tannis Fox, Western Environmental Law Center, 505-629-0732, fox@westernlaw.org
Rachel Conn, Amigos Bravos, 575-770-8327, rconn@amigosbravos.org
Dale Doremus, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, 505-795-5987, doremuswater@gmail.com
Today, the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) accepted a rulemaking petition filed by an oil and gas industry-led organization that would begin the process to create a rule allowing oil and gas wastewater—called “produced water”—to be discharged to New Mexico surface and ground waters and used in agriculture. Produced water is a toxic soup of chemicals that the WQCC concluded less than a year ago in a prior rulemaking could not be treated to levels safe to discharge into the state’s waters. The existing rule banning produced ...
D. Reed Eckhardt
Editor, The Rio Grande Sierran
dreed1969@msn.com
After more than two hours of impassioned public comment, the Water Control Commission reversed its earlier decision to begin rulemaking aimed at nullifying a ban on the discharge of toxic oil and gas wastewater into New Mexico surface and ground water. The 7-4 vote on Nov. 13 resets a process that was launched by the oil and gas industry after the discharge of waste liquids outside of the industry was prohibited by rule for five years.
“New Mexicans put their trust in the commission to base its decisions, without interference, on technical expertise and independent science.” — Dale Doremus, The Sierra Club / Rio Grande Chapter
The commission in May voted ...
By Allyson Siwik
Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter mining co-chair
Gila resources information project, executive director
In late August, the state engineer issued a decision denying Tulla Resources’ application to transfer water rights needed to reopen the Copper Flat Mine near Hillsboro in southern New Mexico.
NM State Engineer Elizabeth Anderson also noted the effects of climate change on New Mexico’s water resources. Quoting a 2006 Office of the State Engineer report, she stated, “New Mexico’s water future will be determined by water demand and availability of our water resources, (and) climate change will likely have a significant impact on both.”
The state engineer’s decision to deny the water rights application was based upon the hearing examiner’s findings of fact ...
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