New Mexico bans drilling within a mile of schools

WINDOW ROCK – According to several New Mexico organizations, students who use inhalers at their respective schools are one of the primary reasons for a moratorium banning new oil and gas leasing around schools.

Stephanie Garcia Richard, the New Mexico commissioner of public lands, issued an executive order that went into immediate effect and will stay in effect until further notice.

The executive order bans new oil and gas drilling at least one mile from schools in New Mexico.

A leasing document by Richard states there could be as many as 119 schools that function within a mile of an oil or gas project.

The document also clarifies that the moratorium prevents new oil and gas projects. Existing ones can still operate, but the state land office must check the existing projects to ensure rules and regulations are met.

It also requires that previous agreements between the oil and gas companies still stand with schools and other facilities in the area.

The reason behind the document arises from health complications students are forced to face when attending school.

For New Mexico, not only did the state’s commissioner recognize asthma and respiratory complications becoming common in school children, but so did a local Indigenous organization.

Preventing further damage

Joseph Hernandez, Naeva’s Indigenous Energy organizer, said the efforts made by organizers on the ground are working to prevent further damage to children’s health for their safety.

Naeva, formally known as NAVA for Native American Voters Alliance, is an Indigenous-led organization that focuses on building a strong community of Native American voters within New Mexico by educating communities on current political actions.

Hernandez has been a strong advocate for protecting children from harm caused by oil and gas companies as he has a daughter and has seen face-to-face the oil and drilling rigs located right near schools.
Hernandez also volunteers as a vice chair for the Navajo Nation Head Start Policy Council.

“When it comes to education, when it comes to the welfare of our children, it means a lot to me,” said Hernandez.

In 2022, New Mexico passed the Ozone Precursor Rule, encouraging oil and gas companies to look for alternative ways to reduce emissions.

The New Mexico Environment Department’s fact sheet on the precursor rule said the need to reduce emissions derives from the respiratory complications many communities have faced.

Hernandez said during the summer hearing for the rule in 2022, Naeva intervened because it wanted more vital rules for the oil and gas companies.

“What it comes down to is these polluting gases that are called greenhouse gases. The biggest emitter of greenhouse gas is methane. It’s 80 times worse than carbon dioxide. We needed to address those methane emissions first,” said Hernandez.

According to the Environmental Defense Fund website, “Methane has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere.”

Naeva had submitted its provisions to the rule they felt would better suit the fight for climate justice. One of the provisions was frequent inspections of oil wells located a thousand feet within occupied areas.

“We all know these oil wells, they leak,” said Hernandez when the environmental improvement board accepted the provision but only for quarterly inspections.

The precursor rule began the journey for Naeva toward being a part of the larger community to ban oil and gas mining around occupied areas like a school.

Read the full story in the Sept. 21 edition of the Navajo Times.

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