New Mexico Victory on Pit Rule

Victory for New Mexicans with New Rules on Pits!

New Mexico's Oil Conservation Commission (OCC) signed the final version of the oil and gas waste pit rule on May 9, 2008.  The new rules are some of the strongest in the country!  The OCC crafted a rule fit for the 21st Century that locks in better oil and gas practices. The new rule takes effect over the next several weeks.  Read the rule.

The OCC's pit rule won broad support from suburban landowners, ranchers, and residents across New Mexico who have suffered water and soil contamination from unlined oil and gas waste pits and buried waste.  Between the mid-1980s and 2003, the New Mexico Environmental Bureau recorded nearly 7,000 cases of pits causing soil and water contamination.  The New Mexico Oil Conservation Division released data in 2005 showing that close to 400 incidents of groundwater contamination had been documented from oil and gas pits.

Most recently, as part of the Pit Rule Task Force process, state sampling showed
carcinogens in all pit samples and heavy metals in two-thirds of the pit samples.
Citizen groups, ranchers and landowners from throughout New Mexico are
understandably quite concerned about water quality, exposure to unknown levels of
toxic chemicals, stock and wildlife deaths, and a broad range of other issues facing
residents who live near oil and gas sites.  View report on chemicals used in NM.

Pits under the new rule: lined, permitted, more respectful of water and property
The new pit rule bans unlined pits entirely and requires that all pits are permitted with the Oil Conservation Division (OCD). At long last, the public will finally have an inventory of pits in our state! The new rule also strengthens liner requirements and effectively requires the use of closed loop systems in close proximity to our water resources and homes.

The Oil & Gas Accountability Project (OGAP) maintains that the industry will end up saving money in the long run by moving to closed-loop systems. Mary Ellen Denomy,
Petroleum Accountant, told the Oil Conservation Commission that closed-loop
systems saved 3% per well. Denomy stated that companies were able to cut costs on
construction, water, drilling muds and waste disposal when utilizing closed-loop
systems.  View OGAP's Op-ed.

New Mexicans - Before celebrating this victory please take a minute to keep up the momentum in holding the oil and gas industry accountable to New Mexicans. Industry lobbyists are still trying to convince legislators and community leaders that common sense oil and gas regulations will drive oil and gas companies out of New Mexico.  Send a letter to the editor of your local newspaper - Click here for help.

For More Information

• Mary Ellen Denomy's testimony on costs to OCC.
• http://www.santafenewmexican.com/Opinion/States--new-oil-rules-are-pretty-good-start-0513-08 
• TEDX Report on chemicals used in New Mexico oil and gas operations.