My view: Need for safeguards goes beyond Galisteo Basin

J. Michael Pearce |

1/20/2008 - 1/20/08

As a land surveyor in 1977, I was driving in the oil fields of the White Mesa Reservation in Utah when we came upon a road block set up by tribal members protesting the impact of the well fields on their health. I've not forgotten the stories these tribal families told of the terrible conditions they lived with. The voice of a powerless poor tribe did not resonate beyond the reservation. Santa Fe County has a voice with much more resonance because of wealth and fame.

Gov. Richardson said that "there shouldn't be drilling in the Galisteo Basin ... (a) very fragile ecosystem that has archaeological and groundwater issues." He's right that more study is warranted. Whatever safeguards can be provided for Santa Fe County residents should be implemented.

But what about the rest of New Mexico? The Aztec Ruins National Monument in San Juan County has 35 active drilling sites, and Chaco Canyon has five active, but non-producing lease sites, all within a 5 mile radius (source: EWG.org). Last March, Commissioner Pat Lyons stopped Cimarex Energy from drilling gas wells on trust land within one mile of Chaco. These are the famous sites. Thousands of archeological sites lie within lease boundaries.

Aren't the people in Santa Fe County as worthy of protection as San Juan County residents are? Shouldn't safeguards put in place in Santa Fe County be applied to all New Mexico lease lands?

Of course, environmental protections must be considered in conjunction with the fact that, as a 2003 "Extractive Energy Resources" report stated, New Mexico "ranks fifth in crude oil production and fourth in proven reserves ... second as a domestic producer of natural gas," and in 1998, 90 percent of state lands revenue and 25 percent of the total New Mexico general fund is generated by oil and gas" (source: New Mexico Resources). These are powerful numbers. However, they shouldn't supersede protecting the health of all New Mexicans.

The antiquated 1872 Mining Law, the main culprit in all this, is finally being addressed by H.R. 2262 in the U.S. House of Representatives (Democrat Tom Udall voted for it, Republicans Wilson and Pearce against).

J. Michael Pearce lives in Eldorado. He worked as a land surveyor in Santa Fe for 15 years.