The Valencia County Commission is scheduled to meet today to discuss an amendment to the Natural Resource Overlay Zone that would allow for natural resource development.
If Valencia County chooses to adopt the amendment, the county could expect to see improved economic conditions such as new businesses, higher employment and increased median household income, a release from the grassroots coalition Better Together New Mexico said.
Carla Sonntag, president of the New Mexico Business Coalition, supports the amendment, saying it will bring opportunities for economic development to the county.
"New Mexico Business Coalition is excited to see the new potential opportunities for Valencia County and its people," Sonntag told the New Mexico Sun. "A zoning ordinance amendment allowing for a Natural Resource Overlay Zone could produce significant economic development opportunities for Valencia County. When you consider the economic diversity of a county, such as Eddy County, that has oil and gas production, you see a much more diverse and robust economy. Eddy County has an employment rate 9.5% higher than Valencia County with jobs that average over $76,000 annually. This individual salary rate is more than $25,000 higher than the median combined household income in Valencia County.
"New Mexico has the strictest regulations in the nation regarding the oil and gas industry. Current requirements, among others, require the capture of 98% of all methane produced by oil and gas wells. In addition, there has never been a single documented case of aquifer contamination in the state of New Mexico," she said.
But not everyone is supportive of the Valencia County amendment, an op-ed in the Sun said this week. Climate-change and environmental activists have expressed their opposition, noting that an expansion of oil and gas exploration will increase pollution and health risks.
Environmental activists have said that health in the communities where the exploration takes place is adversely affected, but studies from the New Mexico Department of Health and the New Mexico University Tumor Registry have shown that Eddy County—an oil and gas production county—has a lower rate of new cancer cases than Valencia County. The data also shows that between 2010-2019, while oil and gas production activity increased throughout New Mexico, deaths from cancer and lung disease in the state decreased.