Bill would freeze fracking permits during impact study(NM Environuts find way to pluck Golden Goose)

The Santa Fe New Mexican ^ | Rebecca Moss

[CedarDave]

While driving at night through Counselor, on U.S. 550, the horizon takes on a dusky illumination, almost like daylight, said Samuel Sage, a member of the Navajo Nation’s Counselor Chapter House, at a news conference.

Bright light flares from natural gas being burned off as part of oil and gas production have become increasingly common in northwestern New Mexico, particularly since 2013 said Sage.

Sage was among several environmental advocates who gathered at the state Capitol in support of a bill that, if passed, would create a four-year moratorium on any new state permits for hydraulic fracturing — a type of deep horizontal drilling that injects high-pressured fluid below ground.

The bill also outlines extensive reporting requirements for several state agencies related to the impacts of fracking.

It’s a drastic proposal for a state whose economy heavily depends on oil and gas, particularly at a time when the industry is booming and creating a financial windfall for New Mexico. But environmentalists say that is also why the legislation is critical now.

“I know this isn’t a real popular bill, but it’s important,” said co-sponsor Sen. Antionette Sedillo Lopez, D-Albuquerque, citing low regulatory staffing and a lack of study of public health or environmental impact. “I have heard story after story about how fracking is impacting people, but we don’t have any data.”

Robert McEntyre, a spokesman for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, called the bill “light on facts and science,” saying fracking has already been well studied, and the bill’s backers failed to gain input from the industry and communities that support oil and gas development.

“As a whole, the legislation would be a disaster for New Mexico,” he said. “It would result in financial ruin. It would devastate economies in the southeast and the northwest.”

[CedarDave]

New Mexico receives 33 to 35 percent of all state revenues from the oil and gas industry. Native American groups have joined with the numerous enviro-nutter groups in Santa Fe to oppose everything to do with fossil fuels. Unfortunately the state legislature and the governor are allied with them following last November's election that gave all state government elected positions to radical left-wing Democrats.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

People like this believe that money grows on a magic tree that will never die. Thus, its OK to kill one of the state’s biggest revenue generating industries in the name of environmental purity. Somehow the tax money to pay for all those expensive Lib social services will still appear.

[hal ogen]

Dear NM citizens: Are you nitwits? Good luck, Jocko.

[CedarDave]

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[LaRueLaDue]

New Mexico is now totally governed by dumb a$$es...

[CedarDave]

Corrected:

People like this believe that money grows on a magic tree that will never die. Thus, its OK to kill one of the state’s biggest revenue generating industries in the name of environmental purity. ...

The other two big "industries" in New Mexico are the Federal government (Two national labs, Air Force bases, multiple National Monuments and Parks, and funding for multiple Indian tribes and reservations [Navajo, Apache and Tewa Pueblos]) and tourism.

[Cletus.D.Yokel]

:: “I have heard story after story about how fracking is impacting people, but we don’t have any data.” ::

God forbid you would think that they are just making that shit up, right?

[shanover]

WTH happened to New Mexico!? The left devoured that state very fast.

[Bob434]

NY set to ban all offshore drilling and exploration

[Crusher138]

New Mexico has been under Democrat control since the 1920’s.

They do elect Republican governors, but never give control of the Roundhouse to Republicans.

We did get a Republican House a few years back, but the D’s in the Senate blocked just about everything.

Between the aging hippies, the artsy-fartsy types, the plethora of colleges, the Native Americans and the illegals who vote anyway, it is unlikely in the extreme that New Mexico will ever be “red”.

[girlangler]

Just got off the phone with the legislative liaison of the N.M. Sheriffs Association. He is in Santa Fe and said after he talks with some of the sponsors of the unconstitutional firearms bills that will likely pass here he realizes they know these are unenforceable, but don’t care. They are throwing these out as bones for the yapping Bloombergs and other gun control groups, and to appease the radical base. New Mexico is going to really be in bad shape when they are through.

[cherry]

follow the money....either somebody just go into the industry and does not want anymore competition or the indians want bigger cut of the money....

[girlangler]

You nailed it Crusher. I have been here 8 years, but am considering moving back to Tennessee.

[Zathras]

Same thing they tried in Fort Collins 5 years ago.
Now its 10x more expensive.
Eventually they will move elsewhere and that is their goal

[ridesthemiles]

Isn’t there ANY way that natural gas can be captured instead of being burned off?

[Wonder Warthog]

"Isn’t there ANY way that natural gas can be captured instead of being burned off?"

Requires construction of a pipeline network to processing plant(s). Pipelines not cheap (and are often hamstrung by watermelon politicians).

[US Navy Vet]

See California “migrations(takeover)”!

[eyeamok]

Easy Fix:

Compile a Database of these offended radical injuns and environuts, All Branded Oil Companies should have a No Electronic Transaction List for these enemies of America and Force them ALL to pay in CASH!!!

[Sequoyah101]

I do hope nm suffers greatly for this.

The article is so flaky it would take longer to refute all that is stated wrongly than to find something right about it. There is nothing right about it.

Maybe they can find a unicorn or a pot of gold to replace the lost revenue. If they do this I’d bet the oil and gas industry goes into a substantial shut down. It will break the state’s back and they deserve it.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Maybe they should go back to the old “safe” method of fracking by dropping a torpedo bomb down the well, or maybe a return to Project Gasbuggy.