"Lt. Governor talks energy: Denish puts oil and gas high on priority list" - The Daily Times

"Lt. Governor talks energy: Denish puts oil and gas high on priority list" - The Daily Times:

"Regarding the Río Arriba County Commission's interest in imposing a six-month countywide moratorium on new oil and natural gas drilling, Denish suggested the county might want "more economic development" from drilling, and may see a way to gain from it financially.

"It would be in the interest of the oil companies to sit down with them (the commissioners) and see if an enterprise zone could be developed," she said. "I want to see their thinking."

San Juan County producers worry the moratorium, if enacted April 24, would affect about 50 percent of the drilling work available to their field workers.

Sticking to her statement that New Mexicans want to see responsible drilling, Denish raised the possibility they might drill directionally rather than create separate well pads and roads to them for each site.

"I think a lot of this is spurred by the Galisteo Basin moratorium and the realization that a county can put on additional standards," she said regarding the seemingly new focus on where drilling is allowed, and to what regulations it should adhere." (full story)