House Bill 125 Alert!

From the Oil & Gas Accountability Project (OGAP) House Bill 125 alert (click here).

"This bill is widely recognized as the oil and gas industry’s retaliation against the Oil Conservation Division’s rulemaking to establish a strong rule protecting soil, water and public health from oil and gas waste pits. Last fall the industry launched a high profile campaign to oppose the pit rule claiming it is unnecessary and will simply cost operators too much to haul their waste or used closed-loop/pitless drilling systems."

"Tabled" January 21,2008

Santa Fe County Cancels Public Hearing

From a Santa Fe County email:
"Santa Fe County

Contact: Stephen Ulibarri - Public Information Officer - 505.986.6353 - sulibarri@co.santa-fe.nm.us

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COUNTY CANCELS PUBLIC HEARING FOR OIL & GAS ORDINANCE

Santa Fe, NM – January 16, 2008 – Santa Fe County has cancelled the first public hearing on the proposed new oil and gas ordinance. The hearing was slated for January 22^nd at Santa Fe Community College. The public hearing schedule has been pushed back and is currently being revised.

# # #

www.santafecounty.org"

Tell Santa Fe County No to Fast-Tracking of the Oil & Gas Ordinance

Since Gov. Richardson's moratorium on OCD permits extends until mid July, and since he is calling for studies to discern the threats of O&G activity throughout the Galisteo Basin, there is more time to adequately address the ordinance drafting. As it stands, the revised draft ordinance is cobbled together from ordinances around the country, which raises concerns about it coming together as a collective whole. There are concerns about the revision in and of itself; however, review of the revised draft is not complete. Demand that the public hearings be postponed until after all of the studies are completed. In the meantime, work on the revised draft could continue as the needed studies to further understanding of the geology, hydrology, archaeology, adverse economic impacts, and other critical studies for the County and the Galisteo Basin are conducted. Studies need to be done for the basin as a whole. The interconnectivity probably spans beyond the basin. If so, then the studies would need to be broadened to better protect resources throughout the County.

Although oil & gas production has been the leading economic driver in New Mexico, once the resource is severed, it is severed permanently. Oil & gas depletion rates are rising. New Mexico must replace the oil & gas industry with sustainable economic drivers and clean renewable tax sources. The oil & gas extraction industry is not our future. To gamble the Galisteo Basin for a marginal, speculative, non-renewable gas & oil play would be reckless.

The critical management areas should be identified before the ordinance adoption. We also must learn more about the complex faults, fractures and the interconnected hydrogeology. There may be other areas along with the Galisteo Basin that should be absolutely protected from oil & gas activity in Santa Fe County. It is hoped that the County and the community can work on these critical issues together to protect the vibrant economy of Santa Fe County, as we protect our irreplaceable resources and our residential areas.

So, please write the County Commissioners, the County Attorney and the County Manager about the following:

• Demand the County stop the fast-tracking oil & gas ordinance drafting process and postpone the two official public hearings about the ordinance until baseline studies are conducted and a long-term management plan for the County is in place. The County should work with the State to coordinate the necessary studies of hydrology and geology. In addition, U.S. Senator Bingaman and Representative Udall sponsored the Galisteo Basin Archeological Sites Protection Act that has not been funded. Until a comprehensive study of the archeology in the Galisteo Basin is conducted and incorporated into the County management plan, all oil & gas activity in the basin should be deferred.
• The County should extend the County moratorium to match the State moratorium, at a minimum.

Governor Richardson Announces Six Month Oil & Gas Drilling Moratorium in the Galisteo Basin

From a SantaFeNewMexican.com article:

"Gov. Bill Richardson didn't waste any time diving back into New Mexico politics after dropping out of the presidential race. Friday afternoon, he called for a six-month ban on oil and gas drilling in the Galisteo Basin.

"I feel that there shouldn't be drilling in the Galisteo Basin. In my judgment, it's a very fragile ecosystem that has archaeological and groundwater issues," Richardson told a group of reporters during a news conference Friday at the Roundhouse. He said the ban will allow time to study the water systems and archaeological resources of the area."

New Mexico PBS: New Mexico InFOCUS

Episode 119 click here:

"A hard look at the future of the oil and gas in New Mexico and the latest battleground in the fight over this precious resource: the Galisteo Basin. David Alire Garcia sits down with the head of the Oil and Gas Association and one of the leading voices of opposition, former green party candidate for the PRC, David Bacon."

From the discussion in Episode 119, see Tweeti Blancett in the Sierra Club "Episode 4: Range Wars Rage On" (Click here).

" They [citizens] don’t have a democratic right to decide what goes on in the county." -- Bob Gallagher, President of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association from Episode 119 InFOCUS.

County Ordinance to Prohibit Drilling in Culturally Significant Areas

From a Santa Fe County emai:

Santa Fe County’s proposed new oil and gas drilling ordinance will prohibit any drilling and exploratory activities that have the potential to disturb or destroy historic artifacts. The ordinance will require extensive archaeological surveys be submitted to both the Federal and State government as part of any permit application. In a letter to Santa Fe County Commissioners, Sen. Jeff Bingaman and Rep. Tom Udall ask the Commission to “delay issuing leases for any activities, such as exploration or drilling, that have the clear potential to permanently disturb or destroy irreplaceable artifacts.” The revised ordinance is being reviewed to ensure compliance with the Congressional request.

“The new ordinance will provide the maximum safeguards permitted by State law” said County Commissioner Chairman Jack Sullivan, “No permit will be granted without the collaboration of both State and Federal regulatory agencies ensuring that no culturally or archaeologically significant areas will be disturbed.” County officials are forwarding the letter from the Congressional Delegation to the local State Legislative Delegation and the State’s oil and gas drilling regulatory agency, the Oil Conservation Division (OCD) for appropriate action at the State level.

New Date for Oil & Gas Drilling Ordinance Hearing Set

From a Santa Fe County email:

The new date for Santa Fe County’s first public hearing for the proposed oil and gas drilling ordinance will be on January 22^nd beginning at 3:00 PM in Santa Fe Community College’s Jemez room. The Jemez room can seat approximately 250 people and there is an overflow room that will have a live video feed of the meeting that holds an additional 250 people. The meeting will continue through the evening hours to guarantee the input of residents who work past 3:00 PM. The 2^nd public hearing is slated for February 12^th at 6:00 PM in the Commission Chambers.

Public hearing cancelled due to winter storm

January 7, 2008

Oil & Gas Drilling Ordinance Public Hearing Cancelled Due to Winter Storm

The first public hearing on Santa Fe County’s proposed new oil and gas drilling ordinance slated for this afternoon at Santa Fe Community College has been cancelled due to the winter storm. The hearing will be rescheduled for a later date.


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Contact: Stephen Ulibarri, Public Information Officer (505) 986-6353/795-0828

http://www.santafecounty.org/news_events/news.php?id=352

For excellent legal comments and hydrology report (click here).

Tony Bonanno Photography photographs from the December 6, 2007 public hearing: (click here).

Public hearing about the revised oil & gas ordinance 1st revised draft and letters to the editor

Revised Draft 1 of the Santa Fe County Oil & Gas Ordinance released January 4, 2008 (click here).

County sponsored public hearing about the revised draft of the oil & gas ordinance to be held Monday, Jan. 7th, 3:00pm at Santa Fe Community College, the William C. Witter Fitness Education Center gymnasium at Santa Fe Community College, 6401 Richards Ave. (click here for map)(click here for campus map)

A New Mexican letter to the editor:
"Citizens must act
The will of the people is loud and clear: Santa Fe County must be protected from the devastation gas and oil activities would bring. If corporations are allowed to ruin our lives and environment, against the will of the people, then democracy is dead. If our elected officials trounce the democratic process with secret meetings and a weakened ordinance, against the will of the people, then Santa Fe County is dead.

According to Noam Chomsky, "the political system is carefully managed to prevent the threat of democracy." That's only true if we don't take action.

Bob Gallagher of New Mexico Oil and Gas Association has stated: "We will not sit back and allow our industry to be vilified and subject to unlawful actions of any individual, private or public body." To that, I respond: We the people will not sit back and allow our democracy to be undermined and subject to the unlawful actions of politicians and corporations.

Ellen Cavalli
Dixon "
Letters to the editor (click here to read this and other letters)

Letters to Santa Fe County regarding 1st draft of the Oil & Gas Ordinance and a letter to Tecton Energy, LLC regarding OCD applications to drill

This post will likely grow.

December 21, 2007:
Joint letter to Santa Fe County from Santa Fe Conservation Trust and Earthworks Institute (click here for the letter, large file).

Letter from the Forest Guardians to Tecton Energy, LLC regarding the Oil Conservation Division applications to drill and the County-sponsored work group (click here for the letter).

Some great oil & gas articles in the Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Rio Grande Sierran (direct link: Rio Grande Sierran) .

December 22, 2007:
Santa Fe Basin Water Association (click here for position paper).

Fred & JJ Milder (click here for letter).

The Cerrillos Hills Parks Coaltion (click here for position paper).

The Acoustic Ecology Institute (click here for position paper).

Santa Fe Councilor Patti Bushee (A Resolution Opposing Oil & Gas Exploitation Within Santa Fe County)

December 24, 2007:
Press Release: Forest Guardians: (Click here to read the press release, "Tecton says 'Frack You' in Denying Request from Groups and Residents to Withdraw Drilling Applications.)

December 27, 2007:
Letter to Commissioner Campos from Forest Guardians, Drilling Santa Fe, Sierra Club and individuals of the Oil & Gas Advisory Committee regarding the meeting scheduled for December 28th (click here to read the letter).

Governor Richardson Issues Statement on Proposed Plans for Oil and Gas Drilling in Galisteo Basin

(Santa Fe, NM) Today Governor Richardson issued the following statement on the proposed oil and gas drilling in the Galisteo Basin:
“I’m skeptical that oil and gas drilling can be conducted in the Galisteo basin without placing our environment and water quality at risk,” said Governor Richardson.
Last month, I asked Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Secretary Joanna Prukop to ensure that the permit process be open and transparent with full opportunity for public input, and guarantee that any possible drilling have the maximum protections for health and environment and minimum ecological footprint on our community.
She has already negotiated an agreement by Tecton to honor the Santa Fe County moratorium, to use closed loop systems in their drilling like we require on Otero Mesa, and not to dispose of their waste on site.
I’m confident Secretary Prukop and her department will assure our state’s obligations under the law and to our citizens are met.” (click here for the original press release.)

This statement is very disappointing. There is no mention of County authority to regulate and to protect our resources from the adverse impacts of oil & gas activity. There is no mention of the comprehensive survey of the Galisteo Basin's environment, natural resources, hydrology, geology, archaeology, and ground and surface water quality that must be completed prior to authorizing any oil & gas exploration or development. The Galisteo Basin must be protected.

Coalition formed due to the possibility of oil & gas drilling in Santa Fe County

A coalition has formed in regards to the possibility of oil & gas drilling in Santa Fe County. The purpose of the coalition to protect the resources of Santa Fe County from the possibility of oil & gas extraction and will offer positive alternative solutions. In alphabetical order (click on the name below to go to the respective websites):

Commonweal Conservancy
Drilling Santa Fe
Earthworks Institute
IATSE Local 480
New Mexico Environmental Law Center
Oil & Gas Accountability Project (OGAP)
Santa Fe Conservation Trust
Wildlife Federation

Santa Fe County Adds 2nd Written Comment Period for Second Oil & Gas Ordinance

December 18, 2007

County Adds 2nd Written Comment Period for Oil & Gas Ordinance

The Santa Fe County Board of County Commissioners, responding to resident requests for an extension of time for public comment, will be adding more time for written public input on the new oil and gas drilling ordinance. The written comment period on the revised draft of the oil and gas drilling ordinance being presented at a January 7th public hearing will be from January 8th through January 23rd. The deadline for written comment for the first draft is December 21st. The purpose of the December 21st deadline is to ensure County staff will have time to adequately process and include as much public contribution as possible before presenting the revised version on January 7th. Receiving 500 letters with technical comments two days before the public hearing does not allow enough time for staff to give them the consideration they deserve. The December 21st deadline also provides a holiday break for residents analyzing the ordinance and writing comments.

“Inviting written comment on the revised draft creates another opportunity for public input” said Roman Abeyta, Santa Fe County Manager. “Every call, letter and email is significant to us and it’s our job to create opportunities for productive public engagement.”



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Contact: Stephen Ulibarri, Public Information Officer (505) 986-6353/795-0828

Santa Fe Reporters David Alire Garcia and Dave Maass

Journalists David Alire Garcia and Dave Maass of the Santa Fe Reporter spent many laborious hours researching and interviewing about the proposed oil & gas drilling in Santa Fe County for the article "Mother Frackers." (click here to link to the article "Mother Frackers").

Oil Conservation Division receives 3 applications from Tecton Energy, LLC to drill in Santa Fe County

"The New Mexico Oil Conservation Division received three applications for permits to drill in Santa Fe County (County) today from Tecton Energy, LLC (Tecton). Before accepting these applications to drill, the Oil Conservation Division negotiated a strict agreement with Tecton on how and when it would proceed in the County if any application to drill was approved." (click here for full press release)

The three wells are: Tecton Ortiz 26-1; Tecton State 16-1; & Tecton Bruce Black 1-2.
For a link to the application with survey maps and aerial views, click here. Warning, it is a large file and will take a long time to open.

Rocky Mountain News, "Beyond the Boom," four days of special reports

"In 'Beyond the Boom,' four days of special reports beginning Dec. 10, the Rocky Mountain News will examine whether Colorado is ready to deal with the phenomenon that could shape its future for decades to come."

Click here for "Beyond the Boom."

Online Petition (iPetition.com)- Oil and gas exploration and development permitting moratorium (iPetition.com has a donation button and is only an option and those donations do not go to Drilling Santa Fe).

For printing hard copies (pdf).

The County Attorney unveiled the draft oil and gas ordinance (click here). For some of the petition demands it falls short, such as the absolute protection of the aquifer. The draft proposes to weaken, not strengthen some the protections provided by the existing mining ordinance. Updated (Click here) for key protections lost under the draft oil & gas ordinance.

The Santa Fe Board of County Commissioners unanimously passed a three month drilling permit moratorium. Let us use the next three months to strengthen the draft oil & gas ordinance and to continue the petition drive. Also, demand an extension be granted for written comments beyond the December 21st deadline.

Click here for Santa Fe County Mining Ordinance overview flyer and click here for the Santa Fe County Land Development Code, which contains the mining ordinance (Article 3, Section 5, pages 64 - 102: Note that the page numbers given in the Table of Contents are off by several pages).

For an excellent educational website, go to the Oil & Gas Accountability Project (OGAP).

Peaceful March

Tony Bonanno Photography (Tony has given permission for free downloading and use of the pictures): photographs of the December 8th march.

On January 11th, a twilight march to begin at 5:30pm from the park by the U.S. Courthouse at Washington & Federal Place, then proceed to the plaza. Dr. Held has obtained a permit and suggested bringing torches, flashlights and candles.

Jerry Held, MD, who is concerned about the long term health effects upon our Santa Fe County citizens from the possibility of oil & gas activity in the County, is organizing a peaceful march on December 8th, to begin at 10:00 am from the park by U.S. Courthouse at Washington & Federal Place, then proceed to the plaza. Dr. Held has obtained a permit.
Related sites: Our Stolen Future & NRDC Endocrine Disruptors

Oil Drilling in Santa Fe County?

Oil and gas explorers have leased hundreds of square miles of minerals from south of Galisteo through the Ortiz Mountains to the outskirts of Santa Fe. They have repaired corroded, leaking casings in an old well off HWY 14 near the Galisteo Creek. They have fractured the formation with a new round of chemicals and thousands of barrels of water to release the high-quality "sweet" crude oil trapped by the chemical reactions left from the 1980s. Yes, they did find oil and gas back in the early 1980s. But the boom turned to bust and prices plummeted (The Heritage Foundation). There was no pipeline for the natural gas. This time they have big plans, including pipelines to carry the natural gas. Santa Fe County is bracing for the real possibility of an unprecedented round of oil and gas drilling exploration. However, some are skeptical about the viability of such a project.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of Drilling Santa Fe.

Upcoming Events

Major upcoming event: Public Meeting, December 6th, 6:30pm to 8:30pm: Santa Fe County Public Oil & Gas Meeting at the Santa Fe High Gym. Officials attending: All five of the Santa Fe County Commissioners; Representatives King & Wirth; Senator Geigo; from the State Land Office, John Bemis; and from the Oil Conservation Division, Mark Fesmire. Click here for meeting flyer.

KUNM (Jim Williams) podcast: (click here)
November 26: OCC Pit Hearings Continue: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (public comment is taken before the OCC breaks for lunch and before the OCC adjourns for the day). Where: Porter Hall, 1220 S. St. Francis Drive, Wendell Chinco Building, Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Heading North on St. Francis, turn left on Alta Vista. Go past the Lujan Building. It is the last building; southwest corner of the complex.) Please note that there are no hearings planned for Wednesday and Thursday. Friday may be a good day for public comments. Then, the hearings will resume Monday, December 3rd. (Link to the Oil Conservation Division) .

In a related recent article regarding the Oil Conservation Commission (OCC), Oil and gas industry fights state environmental regulations, 'New Mexico Oil and Gas Association President Bob Gallagher expects the pit rules to wind up in litigation, the same as the new surface waste and enforcement regulations, which industry leaders already appealed in district court in Santa Fe.

‘Industry is spending hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees to fight these regulations,’ Gallagher said. "We have no choice. These are burdensome and costly regulations that are very detrimental to industry.’…

…’But even with the court challenges, the state's new environmental rules are likely to take effect, Fesmire said (see above).

‘We've bent over backwards to address their issues in the stakeholder process, but ever since we started updating the rules, industry has, without exception, appealed everything,’ Fesmire said. ‘They're within their legal rights, but they're just drawing it out as long as they can."

Recent Gallagher Opinon, "Tecton part of new generation of oil business."

With permission, here are links provided by Tony Bonanno Photography (click here) of the Tecton public presentation (click here) and of the Santa Fe County public forum (click here). Tony says that anyone is welcome to download anything at no charge.

Recent related articles:
Xomba
451 Press
Are Regulations to Blame?

Mineral Leases, Split Estate, Oil Revenue, and Updates

Several newspaper articles have confused the complicated issues of split estate and mineral leases, so it should be pointed out that to lease mineral rights, may not prevent oil & gas drilling and development due to "forced pooling." Such as, "a company may pool two or more leases to create a tract that is sufficient in size to form a drilling unit for a single well" (Oil & Gas Accountability Project [OGAP]). And the State expects the entity leasing State minerals to make every effort to extract minerals. Otherwise, the lease is taken back by the State. Even if individuals could purchase private mineral rights and were to refuse to lease them to Oil & Gas drillers, forced pooling could pool those minerals for extraction.

For more information about mineral rights, split estate, forced pooling and so forth, please go to the OGAP site http://www.earthworks.org or http://www.ogap.org to order or download, "Oil and Gas at Your Door?" Given that most surface property owners in New Mexico do not own the minerals beneath, the more important question may be not who owns your minerals but, if leased, who has the minerals leased. (Also, see Action Alert: On-site Burial of Oil & GAs Pit Waste.)

Oil revenue Op Ed, "County, don't bite oil-revenue carrot." Also, a letter to the editor.

On October 30th, please tune in to "The Journey Home" at 4:00pm and listen to an interview between Diego Mulligan and Drilling Santa Fe on KSFR, 101.1 FM.

Recent KSFR oil & gas stories, click on Public NewsRoom and listen to the Oct. 22nd and 25th Podcasts.

Black-Ferrill #1 OCD Report

For OCD - Well Reports:

Click here for EMNRD public access. Then click "Well Files." Then go to "County" and select from the drop down menu "Santa Fe," then click "Continue." Click on the circle next to "Well Name & Number: Ferrill No. 001, Operator: Tecton Energy, LLC." At the bottom of the page, click on "Continue." The dispay screen will have the most recent report at the bottom of the page and to the right. Click on image to open. Or, go to direct link to Black-Ferrill #1 reports.

What are the consequences of oil & gas drilling in Santa Fe County - intended & unintended?

What are the consequences of oil & gas drilling exploration to Santa Fe County -- intended and unintended? To begin to answer that question, there must be independent hydrogeological, environmental, cultural, and adverse economic impact studies conducted.

Santa Fe County is in a unique position. The citizenry of Santa Fe County has the fortitude to support County officials, who will stand up to the oil & gas industry.

There are some people who have expressed uncertainty about the County’s authority to protect our precious water resources from oil and gas activities. We believe that this uncertainty is misplaced and that the County has full authority to protect its water resources – both surface water and groundwater – from the certain damage that would be caused by oil and gas activities. We further believe that it would be disastrous for the County to "throw in the towel" on the basis of a perceived preemption issue, instead of exercising its full authority under the New Mexico Constitution and New Mexico statutes.

Likewise, we believe that it is unlikely that a court would find that the County does not have authority to protect the County's water resources from the adverse effects of oil and gas activities. We have looked carefully at the State's Water Quality Act and the State's Oil and Gas Act. Looked at together, it seems clear that the New Mexico legislature has intended to preserve the authority of local governments to protect water resources more stringently than those resources are protected by the State.

To write to your elected officials: Santa Fe County ; New Mexico Legislature ; U.S. Congressmembers ; Sample Letter .

Disclaimer: The views expressed are those of Drilling Santa Fe.

How many barrels?

"This world uses a thousand barrels of oil a second-- that's 86 million barrels a day. With China, India and other emerging nations continuing to grow, that number's not going anywhere but up."
-- mywesttexas.com

"According to Dirks, the portion of the rift between Santa Fe and Socorro may contain one of the largest hydrocarbon resources in New Mexico, containing 50 to 100 million barrels of light sweet crude oil and 5 to 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas." -- Tecton Energy, LLC Press Release, September 19,2007.

Enough oil for just about a day of current world consumption; but, what about the adverse economic, cultural, water source, and environmental impacts to Santa Fe and Santa Fe County?

Produced Water

Produced Water: "Any water that is produced to the surface along with oil or gas." "It is the largest waste stream generated by the oil and gas industry." Oil and Gas Accountability Project

"For every barrel of oil produced, approximately 10 barrels of brackish or saline water is generated." Sandia National Laboratories