The threat of oil and gas drilling in Santa Fe County has spawned a plethora of villains, heroes and self-styled experts.

People who likely had never seen the inside of the county's chambers have become political activists. County staff previously content to work in quiet anonymity have been thrust, wincing, into the limelight. Santa Fe-style grass-roots organizations — armed with research skills, SUVs and enough time and money to investigate the complexities of mineral-rights law and drilling practices — have sprouted up, too.



Santa Fe County Land Use Director Jack Kolkmeyer

Whatever new oil and gas regulations the County Commission approves, Kolkmeyer will be responsible for implementing them. Some drilling opponents suspect he's just another cog in a county government machine that has been too meek in facing down the oil and gas industry. Others respect the watchful open-eared presence he's maintained throughout the proceedings and trust he wants to do the right thing.



Santa Fe County Attorney Steve Ross

An ex-Oil Conservation Division employee and the main architect of the new ordinance, Ross has been in the hot seat for months. He has the vocal support of county commissioners, but some community members question his objectivity.



Johnny Micou

Micou and his wife, Nancy Seewald, started Drilling Santa Fe, the first organized drilling opposition group in the county. Micou said his wife first started organizing last April after they saw drilling vehicles near their property off County Road 55A. He said he became more involved after hearing an oil industry representative threaten to sue the Oil Conservation Division over proposed restrictions that would force the industry to be more environmentally accountable. Micou lost a battle to keep drillers off his Texas ranch two years ago. "They cut the fence, bladed the road and were drilling even though we were fighting them with lawyers," Micou said. The couple sued and received damages — Micou said he isn't allowed to disclose how much — but are still dealing with remediation issues. "It's ironic because we left Texas to get away (from that)," he said. "We wanted to come out to the county, be left alone and semi-retire."



Betsy Siwula-Brandt

Siwula-Brandt had a head start on other opposition members who had to cram hard to bring themselves up to speed on the issues. She grew up in Roswell, where her father was a geologist for The Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO). She spent 19 years working as a geophysicist for Exxon before retiring to the Galisteo area, where she and her husband own three businesses. She said she's seen the good things the oil industry can do but feels the "paradigm has stretched," and oil companies have been pushed into pursuing little scraps of resources in residential areas where drilling doesn't make sense anymore. Unlike her husband, Wolfgang Brandt, (who can be stridently passionate about his opposition to oil development) Siwula-Brandt has distinguished herself as one of the more pragmatic activists on the scene.



The commissioners: The five members of Santa Fe County's Board of County Commissioners have been alternately fawned over and flogged by special-interest groups since the specter of oil and gas development reared its head in the county. Some constituents try to inspire them through letters to be the heroes who can save the county from "big oil." Others treat them as spineless pawns who have already been bought off.

Commission Chairwoman Virginia Vigil is the only commissioner on the board facing a re-election bid in 2008. She was criticized by drilling opponents after publicly voicing her concern that the county could be vulnerable to a lawsuit if it attempts to overstep its regulatory authority. Some of the same detractors praised her for saying the county needs to write an ordinance that doesn't allow drilling companies to obtain variances on setbacks.

Commissioner Paul Campos arranged a closed-door session between stakeholders, politicians and Tecton reps, an action that brought scathing criticism from some media outlets and residents. But colleagues say his cut-to-the chase methods have worked in the past.

Commissioner Mike Anaya vowed to a room full of concerned residents that the new ordinance the county is working on will be "stronger" than the existing ordinance, which primarily applies to hard-rock mining. He may be kicking himself now, as nearly all of the self-appointed analysts say the new ordinance is weaker. Anaya, who rumor has it aspires to be state land commissioner one day, owns several acres in Galisteo. He said he doesn't know who owns his mineral rights.

Commissioner Harry Montoya's northern district is farthest geographically from the area the mining company targeted with its permits to drill, although some speculate that the mineral reserves Tecton wants to tap extend farther north than Nambé. But for now, Montoya, who announced recently he'll run for the 3rd Congressional District seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Tom Udall, seems to be focused on other things. He won applause at a recent public meeting when he said, "Philosophically I'm opposed to this drilling. I'm not sure the economics are worth the devastation. ..." The same crowd booed him when he finished his statement by adding that for the purposes of governmental propriety, he had to listen to both sides of the argument.

Commissioner Jack Sullivan: Sullivan has been highly visible in recent months, organizing one of the public meetings on oil and gas drilling and attending all the others. He's has taken his usual methodical approach to evaluating the new ordinance and seems unaffected by gibes that the county is more concerned with avoiding lawsuits than protecting the region's groundwater. Sullivan said last week he's concerned with hammering out an ordinance that will stand up in court, not because he's afraid of lawsuits, but because if lawsuits are filed, he wants the county to emerge victorious. An ordinance that doesn't hold up under legal scrutiny, he said, would leave it defenseless against oil and gas development.



Rep. Peter Wirth, D-Santa Fe

Wirth took a bold stand — especially for someone who is running for the Senate — by asking the state Oil Conservation Division to issue a six-month moratorium on oil and gas drilling permits. They haven't gotten back to him yet. Brian Egolf, who would like to take over Wirth's seat, has taken the opportunity to do some campaigning at each of the well-attended public meetings.



New Mexico Oil and Gas Association President Bob Gallagher

Gallagher has been disdainful of the county's three-month moratorium on drilling permits, calling it bizarre, knee-jerk and ill-advised. He continues to point out that the oil and gas industry brings in a huge chunk of change for the state. Gallagher reportedly is in tight with Gov. Bill Richardson. A member of the governor's re-election team confirmed in an e-mail to a constituent that "Mr. Gallagher is assisting the Governor with his campaign."



Gov. Bill Richardson

Richardson has been mute on the issue for months but issued a statement last week saying he was "skeptical" that oil and gas drilling could be conducted in the Galisteo Basin without placing the environment and water quality at risk. Richardson spokesman Allan Oliver said Thursday that the Governor's Office has received more than 100 letters from constituents on the issue, and some legislators have also expressed concerns. "We've been listening to those concerns and hearing them out," Oliver said. "(Richardson) has been monitoring the issue and discussing it with (Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources) Secretary Joanna Prukop, who has witnessed the significant interest from the public, and he simply felt the time was right to make a statement."



Tecton president and CEO Bill Dirks:

As the head of the company that proposes to drill holes around the Galisteo Basin in search of light sweet crude, Dirks has been cast as the villain of this story. But as a quiet unassuming man with good manners, he doesn't look the part.

Dirks' résumé — he's held several high-profile positions with Shell Oil Co. — proves he's well-connected in the industry, some say chillingly so.



Oil Conservation Division Director Mark Fesmire

Fesmire's division is currently in the process of trying to strengthen regulations over oil and gas waste pits. He'll also arrange the public hearings on Tecton's three pending well permits. He's lauded by industry opponents but criticized by proponents who say he's not as objective as he should be for someone in his position.



Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Secretary Joanna Prukop

Prukop's department oversees the Oil Conservation Division, and she's the one who has to answer pointed questions from legislators concerned that over-regulating the industry will lose money for the state.