The continued explosive growth of the oil and gas industry in Southern New Mexico is pushing the limits of some communities as they struggle to keep up with the needs…
Earlier this year Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the Produced Water Act (HB546) into law, allowing for water used in oil and gas production to be recycled for further use.…
Wyoming-based startup, Encore Green Environmental, is pursuing an ambitious pilot project aimed at cleaning up and re-using waste water from the booming oil and gas operations of southeastern New Mexico. The…
According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Lea County was the No. 2 oil-producing county, just behind North Dakota's McKenzie County, while Eddy County was ranked 6th.HOBBS, N.M.…
As American business continues to move into an ever-evolving 21st century economic landscape, the role of local and grassroots movements has emerged as a principal factor in local economies. As American citizens and stewards of our country’s future, we are all obliged to educate ourselves on current civil, economic, and legislative issues, and to help carry forward our ideals to ensure a better tomorrow for our children. This has always been the American way, and it has helped make us the greatest country on Earth.
Commentary by Carla J. Sonntag, President and Founder, New Mexico Business Coalition
Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. In the case of the Sandoval County oil and gas ordinance, we seem to be playing that game, but with new features that add to the craziness.
Oil and gas operations have been in the County since the 1950s. While the idea of an ordinance isn’t new, Commissioners can’t seem to reach a decision on how to handle it. At least five times now, the Commission has had ordinances in front of them and have been unable to act.
Why? Because irrational activists have drowned out the voice of reason on what constitutes a judicious and useful ordinance. Hysteria booming through the halls of the Sandoval County Government Building controlled the conversation. “Tribal consultation hasn’t happened!” (The County has no authority over tribal lands.) “The ordinance is being rammed through at the last minute!” (Sandoval County has considered an ordinance for two years.) “It will destroy our land and water!” (There has never been a documented case of contaminated water due to oil and gas operations in New Mexico.)
New Energy Economy (NEE) has a knack for sensationalism and fund raising, but not for telling the truth. And now they have fallen subject to the NMBC Truth Project.
Why should anyone care what NEE says? Its false and misleading statements have left the realm of their funders and followers and have now hit the mainstream where they are attempting to impact regulatory decisions.
The problem is that it may have worked.
Last week was a busy one for NMBC – Meetings, Media & Awards: On Monday, 5-8-17, NMBC attended and gave comments at a public meeting in Counselor, NM regarding hydraulic fracturing and related oil and gas activities on the Navajo Nation. Read more HERE.
On Tuesday, 5-9-17, NMBC was contacted by several media outlets to comment on the U.S. Senate failing to repeal a harmful methane rule. Read more HERE, and HERE. On Friday, 5-12-17, NMBC attended a meeting and gave comments in Sandoval County concerning a proposed country ordinance on oil and gas development. In between all that was the BASH (Business and Social Hour) titled, ‘Engaging the Community in Energy,’ on Thursday, 5-11-17. Whew! No wonder NMBC is known as New Mexico’s ‘Voice of Energy!
The American Lung Association’s Top City for CLEAN AIR? See below…
Energy Headlines Environmental Activists Don’t Want You to See: ‘CO2 and Methane Emissions Drop Significantly’. New government data shows that carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation are at their lowest levels in nearly 30 years, and natural gas is the key reason why. Similarly, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), methane emissions from oil operations declined 28.8 percent from 1990 to 2015. Over the same period, methane emissions from venting and flaring of associated natural gas production decreased more than 78 percent. The EPA report can be found HERE.
When it comes to energy production, New Mexico and the U.S. can (and should) learn from other countries’ experiences concerning clean, affordable AND reliable energy. Germany, for example, recently faced…