The proposal aims to reduce pressure on freshwater sources, but opponents call it a "giveaway" to the oil and gas industry

Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** New Mexico plan to create fracking wastewater reserve faces opposition
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Wednesdsay, January 24, 2024
Oil and gas production in New Mexico, BLM New Mexico ([link removed])

Opposition is growing ([link removed]) to a proposal from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to use state funding to create a reserve of fracking wastewater. First announced ([link removed]) last December, the plan calls for the state to purchase treated wastewater that could then be available to businesses and industries that can use brackish water. New Mexico's Environment Department Secretary James Kenney described the initiative ([link removed]) as an effort to attract water-intensive industries to the state. Hydrogen production, for example, requires large amounts of water, and Lujan Grisham is interested in developing New Mexico's hydrogen industry
([link removed]) .

Lujan Grisham is asking the state legislature to invest $500 million from the state's Severance Tax Permanent Fund to finance the wastewater acquisitions, and Kenney appeared in front of the state Senate Finance Committee earlier this week to make the administration's case for the proposal. By creating a reserve of treated wastewater, the proposal aims to reduce pressure on freshwater sources while attracting water-reliant industries. "The strategic water supply is a concept ... to create less reliance on our freshwater and preserve freshwater resources," Kenney said ([link removed]) .

But opponents of the plan question the need for the state to play a role, characterizing the proposal as a "giveaway" ([link removed]) to the oil and gas industry. "It’s intended to help oil and gas producers, particularly in the Permian Basin, to resolve their enormous problem with wastewater disposal and allow for continued extraction,” said Mariel Nanasi ([link removed]) , executive director of New Energy Economy. The state legislature has until February 15th, when its current session ends, to decide whether to appropriate funding. In the meantime, the Environment Department has already issued a request for information and envisions
([link removed]) soliciting proposals and making selections as early as the end of this year.


** Quick hits
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BLM plan for eastern Colorado sets aside land, but leaves oil and gas drilling in play

Colorado Sun ([link removed])

NM governor's $500 million proposal to treat fracking wastewater faces growing opposition

Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed]) | New Mexico Political Report ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed])

Wind, solar are forecast to surpass coal this year. What does this mean for Wyoming?

Wyoming Public Radio ([link removed])

Alarm as first uranium mine in years opens near Grand Canyon

The Guardian ([link removed])

The big battle brewing over LNG exports

Canary Media ([link removed])

Tribes sue to stop construction of transmission line that threatens San Pedro River, historic and cultural sites

Arizona Republic ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed])

Oil companies used to run this town. Now they're back—to mine for lithium

Grist ([link removed])

As glaciers melt, potential salmon habitat collides with outdated mining laws

High Country News ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” There are so many reasons why this mine doesn’t belong where it is. And the fact that it is allowed to operate is a stark example of the weaknesses in our regulatory system.”

—Amber Reimondo, Grand Canyon Trust, The Guardian ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@mypubliclands ([link removed])
Just 45 miles southeast of Tucson, Arizona, you'll find more than 45,000 acres of rolling grasslands and woodlands filled with oak-studded hills and lush riparian corridors. 🌳 This is Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. Not only is this area home to unique and rare vegetative communities (including five of the rarest habitat types in the American Southwest), but it also served as a set for several films including Red River, Hombre, and Winchester 73! 🎥

📸 Pronghorn walk through the snow at sunrise in Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, Bureau of Land Management - Arizona; Artist in Residence Alan Nyiri.

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