Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham delivered her State of the State Address at the beginning of the 57th Regular Legislative Session, where she outlined her priorities for the coming term. Her address focused on climate and energy, highlighting updates to the Oil and Gas Act, establishing a state-sponsored fire insurance program outside the private market, and developing a strategic water supply for clean energy projects, advanced manufacturing, and firefighting.

The Governor emphasized that water is New Mexico's most valuable resource. She noted that the oil and gas industry in New Mexico uses less than 1 percent of fresh water in production processes. Members of NMOGA are committed to preserving fresh water through science-proven methods to reuse and recycle treated, produced water. In her address, Governor Lujan Grisham stated: "recycled industrial water will not be used for human or animal consumption, or to irrigate our crops. Period." NMOGA responded by requesting that science guide her remarks on safe uses of treated water rather than politics.

Research universities, technology companies, government agencies, national laboratories, and private industry have demonstrated that appropriately treated water can safely be used for various purposes such as agricultural irrigation, landscaping irrigation (including parks and golf courses), municipal supplies, industrial processes like power plants and factories operations, indoor uses like toilet flushing, dust control on roads and construction sites, concrete mixing in construction processes, supplying artificial lakes or aquifers restoration.

For more information about these uses and ongoing research efforts visit organizations like Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), New Mexico Water Research Consortium (NMWRC), or New Mexico Environment Department (NMED).

NMOGA members remain committed to letting science drive innovation while conserving fresh resources through safe applications of recycled industrial waters.