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OIL & GAS WATCH
New Mexico is Sitting on a Climate Bomb
To head off climate catastrophe, oil and gas production and consumption must decline. The opposite is happening in the Permian Basin. Production has more than quadrupled in the past decade, and despite the rapidly accelerating transition to renewable energy, New Mexico continues to be the second largest producer of oil and gas in the United States, which is now the largest exporter of fossil fuels in the world. This destructive extractive industry treats New Mexico as a sacrifice zone, destroying air quality, consuming vast amounts of water, and dumping their waste and leaking, abandoned wells at an alarming rate. Holding this powerful industry accountable here in New Mexico is critical for all living things.
Our Campaigns for Oil & Gas Accountability
The Governor's proposed "Strategic Water Supply," was an outrageous plan to use public money to fund treatment and re-use of fracking waste, a process lacking scientific evidence of safety and necessity. We won, defeating five enabling bills in the 2024 legislative session, and then we won again in May 2025 at the Water Quality Control Commission where the administration tried to pass a rule to enable fracking waste reuse. Instead we fought for a rule prohibiting fracking waste reuse and we continue defending that rule at the WQCC.
READ more about fracking waste reuse efforts by the oil and gas industry
New Energy Economy intervened in support of WildEarth Guardians application to prohibit PFAS in oil and gas downhole operations. We won, but we are appealing the limitations arbitrarily placed on the prohibition in the final order.
Read more about the PFAS prohibition
New Energy Economy intervened in support of State Land Office proposed rules to increase financial assurance bond requirements for oil and gas wells and released a major new report warning that New Mexico taxpayers will face billions of dollars in oil and gas cleanup liabilities unless state regulators act now to strengthen bonding and financial assurance requirements for oil and gas operators.
New Energy Economy opposed NM Gas Company's plan to build an LNG plant outside of Rio Rancho. We Won!
Read more about the defeated LNG plant
