Environmental review bill would benefit all
The New Mexico Legislature must vote yes on the Environmental Review Act, House Bill 206, to improve the health and safety of local communities and our environment. By requiring agencies to consider and mitigate the consequences of granting permits to large industrial projects, HB 206 will lead to more careful decisions, resulting in fewer spills and public health crises and lower cleanup costs.
Our state’s history is filled with disasters that could have been avoided had this bill been in place. For example, the catastrophic sinkhole associated with brine well in the Permian Basin might have been averted, or the 2018 pipeline explosion in Doña Ana County, one of the largest spills our country has seen in the last decade, releasing almost 300,000 gallons of petroleum, could have been avoided.
We should put an end to families paying the price for industrial development, like the outbreak of dozens of illnesses in Hobbs that came as a result of Shell Oil’s using unlined waste pits for oil and gas development for almost two decades, as well as the 2,787 leaks statewide from underground gasoline storage tanks.
Currently, state agencies often grant permits without thoughtful consideration, public input or disaster plans. Far too frequently, the negative impacts of fast-tracking permits could be prevented with more thorough analysis. New Mexico has no consistent requirements for these agencies when it comes to public notification or environmental analysis.
New Mexico needs this important legislation to increase transparency and open our government to its citizens. These requirements will protect human health, water, air, historic and cultural sites, neighboring tribes and nearby communities.
This bill gives the public a voice in the decision-making process and would require the state of New Mexico to consider not just short-term effects but the cumulative consequences of all projects near communities. HB 206 exempts projects already scrutinized under the National Environmental Policy Act and applies only to projects solely under review by state agencies.
Corporations already have too much power over our resources and decisionmakers in our state. Corporate influence over our democracy is one of the greatest threats to our food, water and climate. The New Mexico Legislature can help blunt this influence by voting yes on HB 206.
Eleanor Bravo is the Southwest director of Food & Water Watch, an environmental advocacy group. She has lived and worked in New Mexico for 35 years and advocates for clean water and safe food.