Protect residents on front lines of N.M. energy boom
This year the New Mexico Legislature faces the same choice it has every year since oil and gas production skyrocketed in the state. Will it act to protect New Mexicans from the air pollution crisis caused by oil and gas production?
If past sessions are any indication, we should all be concerned, because our Legislature has chronically given the oil and gas industry a green light to operate with no enforcement of laws or regulations to protect our public health and the environment. The result is poor air quality and negative health effects for those on the front lines of the oil and gas boom, like our community in Eastern Navajo Agency.
The state knows the production boom is polluting our air and resulting in dangerous air quality for communities who live on the front lines of production. Areas of heavy oil and gas production have unhealthy air quality, and some are out of compliance with federal ozone air quality standards, which are set to protect public health. Plainly put, the health of people living in areas with heavy oil and gas production is at risk due to poor air quality.
The list of negative health effects from ozone exposure is long. Ozone affects the respiratory system in both the short term and long term. Breathing high levels of ozone can cause chest tightness, coughing and shortness of breath within hours of exposure. Over the long term, exposure to ozone can cause new cases of asthma in children and damage to the airways, leading to development of COPD. Ozone exposure can also cause or worsen other disease conditions over time, like diabetes and increased likelihood of reduced fertility, preterm birth, stillbirth and low birth weight.
In addition to ozone, New Mexicans who live and work near oil and gas production facilities are exposed to hazardous air pollutants that are known carcinogens. Even though proximity to production facilities is harmful to human health, New Mexico has not established buffer zones that prevent oil and gas facilities from being located near areas of human habitation.
Despite the negative impacts of exposure to pollution from oil and gas production, the state of New Mexico underfunds the New Mexico Environment Department, responsible for protecting our air. The Legislature knows the Environment Department needs more funding to carry out its mission of protecting New Mexicans from pollution.
However, year after year, the Legislature has failed to provide the agency with sufficient funding to fill vacancies and conduct inspections. In 2022, the Environment Department indicated there were only two inspectors for oil storage tanks to cover the entire state of New Mexico.
Insufficient funding directly impacts communities that are dealing with extraction in their backyards and prevents proper enforcement of regulations that are meant to protect community health and safety. Minimal enforcement creates a slew of problems for communities.
In our rural community and many others, it can take considerable time for fire and medical personnel to arrive on scene when accidents happen.
Our state constitution places a duty on the state to protect our beautiful and healthful environment. Will the Legislature take its duty seriously this session? Or will it continue to look the other way as New Mexicans on the front lines bear the negative health impacts? This legislative session provides the Legislature with the same choice it has had since the oil and gas boom began. Hopefully the Legislature makes a different choice than it has in the past so our community and others around the state can have a safer and healthier future.