Sen. Linda Lopez Senate District 11 | Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter
A coalition of environmental groups has initiated legal action against the Obama administration's decision to permit fracking in the Santa Fe National Forest. The lawsuit, filed yesterday, challenges the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service's 2015 auction of over 20,000 acres for oil and gas leases despite numerous protests.
The dispute centers on the continued use of the outdated 2003 Farmington resource management plan (RMP), which does not account for modern fracking technologies such as horizontal drilling and multi-stage fracking. These methods were not feasible when the RMP was developed. "We’re seeing the same intellectually dishonest techniques here from the administration as those used to green-light unstudied fracking in the Greater Chaco region," stated Kyle Tisdel from the Western Environmental Law Center.
Samantha Ruscavage-Barz from WildEarth Guardians expressed concern about environmental impacts: "With our climate and our future at stake, we’re taking a stand with this lawsuit." Horizontal wells reportedly have double the surface impact compared to vertical wells and emit significantly more air pollution. They also require substantially more water, raising concerns in New Mexico's arid environment.
Mike Eisenfeld of San Juan Citizens Alliance criticized BLM’s approach: “Leasing in the Santa Fe National Forest by BLM continues a reckless practice.” Rachel Conn from Amigos Bravos emphasized potential risks to water resources: “Unwise oil and gas development in our headwaters can destroy key water resources.”
The legal challenge is supported by several organizations including San Juan Citizens Alliance, Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment, Amigos Bravos, WildEarth Guardians, and Sierra Club. They aim to halt further oil and gas activities in undeveloped areas of Santa Fe National Forest near Jemez Mountains.
