July 2 Lawyer on drilling in Rio Arriba County (Podcast)

KSFR Local

July 2 Lawyer on drilling in Rio Arriba County (Podcast) By: Bill Dupuy SANTA FE (2008-07-02) -- A state hearing officer has finished gathering information on the question of oil and gas drilling in an environmentally sensitive area of Rio Arriba County. Landowners have complained that the oil developer had planned to put as many as 10 new wells too close to water supplies. Some of the complaints also said that the developer planned to put the wells in areas that hadn't been agreed to, in violation of the state's new Surface Owners Protection Act. For their part, county officials were concerned that the developer simply hadn't been honest in the application for permits. As for oil developer Approach Resources, they promise full compliance with state law and safe drilling operations. A decision from the state's Oil Conservation Division could be coming soon over whether to grant those 10 new well permits in Rio Arriba County. We talk with Ted Trujillo, one of the lawyers who represented the county at those hearings.