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.”

[oldbrowser]

This is a version of the old protection racket. Commonly known as graft. The legislators are against successful industries unless “donations” are forthcoming.

[JoeFromSidney]

Sorry to see this. I was stationed at Alamogordo many years ago. I liked the place and even considered retiring there. Glad I didn't. Sounds like the place has been taken over by the loony left.