Environmentalists and citizens in New Mexico believe the state agency charged with overseeing oil and gas activity is not doing enough to enforce rules meant to crack down on polluters.

At a meeting last week, they challenged the Oil Conservation Division, pointing to a 16% increase in spills of drilling-related wastewater in 2022.

Sofia Jenkins-Nieto, spokesperson for Youth United for Climate Crisis Action, said it is not what was expected after stronger regulations were adopted in 2021.

"This law exists, and we're kind of wanting to hold industry accountable in some way or another," Jenkins-Nieto asserted. "We have a constitutional right to clean land, air and water."

During the presentation, the Oil Conservation Division said nearly 1,500 wastewater spills occurred in the state last year, an average of four per day. The state agency said in the past year, 74 notices were issued for various violations with $11 million in civil penalties being sought from offenders.

Melissa Troutman, climate and energy advocate for WildEarth Guardians, argued a more urgent response is needed to protect the health of those on the front lines.

"This is a pollution crisis," Troutman contended. "This is not something that should be, 'Oh, well, we'll get around to it when we can and when we have the resources.' This is something that should be addressed yesterday."

Elizabeth West, a resident of Santa Fe, told the hearing the sluggish process of cracking down on violators reminds her of a slow-motion train wreck.

"When things are not done, train wrecks happen," West pointed out. "It's too confusing to me to see why there isn't more traction about what's happening in our whole state."

Mary Burton Riseley, a fourth-generation New Mexican from Roswell, compared the oil and gas fields to a fictionalized landscape of devastation.

"Southeastern New Mexico now more resembles Mordor from the 'Lord of the Rings' than it does the plains of my childhood," Burton Riseley stated.

A Virginia group is working out ways to reforest former mines across Appalachia.

The state has several hundred thousand acres of mine land, which was being handled under the Virginia Department of Energy's Abandoned Mine Land Economic Revitalization Program. But other groups feel reforesting mine lands can play a role in reducing global carbon levels.

Diana Dombrowski, carbon research fellow at Appalachian Voices, said this is the kind of project the carbon-offset market can invest in.

"They're interested in projects that not only are maybe more local, to where they're based, but also have an environmental justice perspective," Dombrowski explained. "When it comes to the work of reforesting mine land, we're aware of a need in central Appalachia."

The process begins with reclaiming the mine land, which could cost from $7.5 billion to almost $10 billion. But the carbon offset market made $277 billion last year, so it sounds possible. There also are other options available. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides almost $113 billion, appropriated for Virginia's Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund.

Reforesting former mining areas can help Virginia achieve its climate goals. The projects can add to resilience against storms for communities, and help keep air and soil healthy.

Dombrowski noted other challenges could come up, such as how to identify the best sites for reforesting projects.

"Designing a project that can plan for the most carbon sequestration," Dombrowski suggested. "Where you pick the best land versus a project where you are maybe running over an average, that maybe people will see in the public at large."

Since the work is in the earliest phases, other challenges could arise. Dombrowski pointed out one priority is to focus on environmental justice. She added if any projects turn a profit, the funds will be reinvested into the workforce or materials to keep the work going.

Wildlife advocates are pushing back on a bill in Congress which would remove federal wilderness protections from some Montana land.

There are currently 44 Wilderness Study Areas, making up a million acres of Montana's wildest prairies, river breaks, deep forests and mountain peaks in all corners of the state. Experts agreed they provide unparalleled wildlife habitat, clean air and water.

But Senate Bill 2216, sponsored by Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., would remove 100,000 acres from the study areas, including Hoodoo Mountain, Wales Creek and the Middle Fork of the Judith River.

Gayle Joslin, a retired wildlife biologist for the state of Montana, called it a move in the wrong direction.

"These areas would be released to mining, to timber harvest, to recreational development," Joslin pointed out.

A 2022 voter survey found only 6% of Montanans support eliminating protections from the study areas. Daines and other supporters of what's been dubbed the "Montana Sportsmen Conservation Act" countered the study areas are "restrictive" and could be better managed to mitigate wildfire risk and increase public access.

The wilderness areas are open to recreational users but not to motorized vehicles, which the bill would change. It is a slimmed-down version of a measure Daines introduced in 2017, which would have removed protections from 500,000 acres but was defeated.

Joslin argued Montana residents are unanimous in their support for public lands and for many reasons, not the least of which is they are disappearing.

"They are simply not making wild country anymore," Joslin stressed. "Every acre we lose is a loss for wildlife and for, really, wildland scenic and spiritual opportunities for people."

Polls also show close to three-quarters of Montanans want to maintain or increase environmental protections and see development as a 'serious threat.' Critics of the bill said Daines sidestepped input from the public and from federal environmental officials. The measure awaits action in the full Senate.


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The Arizona Governor's Office of Resilience and industry leaders discussed clean energy investments in the state at Honeywell's facility in Phoenix Monday.

The event highlighted the partnership between the public and private sectors and how federal funds can be leveraged to continue making investments in renewable energy sources across Arizona, made available through the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Blaise Caudill, energy policy adviser to Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, contended when Arizona industry thrives, so do Arizona families. "Emerging, advancing and exciting," are some of the words Caudill used to describe Arizona's current clean energy economy.

"A few months back, the governor was able to attend a ribbon cutting in Northern Arizona for a wind farm," Caudill recounted. "What was so unique about this project in particular was that this wind farm was placed on and co-sited with the largest cattle lands in the state. That is truly Arizona."

Caudill argued it is remarkable to see what he called "one of Arizona's initial five C's - being cattle," coexisting alongside efforts to better handle the state's "emerging climate." He added it is an exciting time for the state to continue developing the clean energy economy, and encourages Arizona stakeholders to expand workforce development programs to meet the state's needs.

David Shilliday, vice president and general manager of advanced air mobility for Honeywell, said the company has had a long-standing history with the state of Arizona and currently employs about 10,000 people, adding they are interested in not just today's economy, but the future.

Shilliday contended the state could improve the current infrastructure of clean energy, which requires establishing improved facilities and fostering what he calls the "workforce of the future."

"We're also deeply involved in local universities," Shilliday pointed out. "To ensure that there are opportunities for developing the curricula for what we think the future needs are for a resilient and enduring Arizona economy that leans forward into this clean energy space."

Shilliday added Honeywell has been able to tap into incentives made available by the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act, and invested the resources in what he called clean energy solutions, renewable energy as well as to upgrade their facilities.