Protesters target wastewater conference at Hotel Santa Fe

Secretary Ken McQueen speaks at conference to discuss oil and gas wastewater dumping and reuse

The Hotel Santa Fe is the site of a meeting between the EPA and New Mexico.

By Aaron Cantú

A handful of environmental protesters gathered Friday afternoon outside Hotel Santa Fe to protest a memorandum of understanding between the state of New Mexico and the Environmental Protection Agency to facilitate discussion on how the state can reuse wastewater produced from oil and gas operations in the state.

In furtherance of the MOU, a private, Oklahoma-based association called the Groundwater Protection Council held a two-day conference at the hotel for administrators and workers in the oil and gas and water management industries to discuss state and federal "regulatory and environmental frameworks" for re-introducing water produced by oil and gas operations for public consumption.

According to a press release put out by the the Environmental Protection Agency, the industry produced about 900 million barrels of wastewater, "most of which was disposed of in underground injection wells, permanently removing it from the hydrologic cycle." It cites the potential for drought conditions in the state as a reason both parties have an interest in examining potential for wastewater recycling.

The EPA’s press release quotes New Mexico State Engineer Tom Blaine saying the reuse of oil and gas wastewater “has the potential to relieve the growing demand on our ground and surface water sources.”

While water recovered from oil and gas operations is used in California for agricultural purposes, much of the literature detailing health impacts associated with reusing this wastewater has ties to industry sources. The Environmental Defense Fund warned in September that New Mexico should cautiously approach the idea since "produced water can contain hundreds of potentially toxic chemicals, making the management of this waste stream extremely challenging."

New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Cabinet Secretary Ken McQueen gave remarks at the conference, but department spokeswoman Beth Wojahn tells SFR she didn’t know much else about the conference, which was spearheaded largely by the Groundwater Protection Council.

The organization’s board of directors includes oil and gas and resource officials from various states. Dan Yates, the council’s director, was unable to provide more details about the conference than was listed on its website.

Outside the gathering, about 30 people stood at the intersection of Cerrillos and Paseo de Peralta to protest the prospect of recycled wastewater for public use as well as public and private entities dumping it into watersheds.

"This is a recent effort to basically cash in on contamination, they're basically double dipping and collecting fees for producing this wastewater," said Nick Estes, who is a co-founder of the Indigenous liberation group The Red Nation.

"When you have all these residents who have to go miles to get drinking water, it's a horrible irony that they're using millions of gallons of fresh water for oil and gas and then trying to recycle it," said Evelyn Bemis, a member of a group called the Frack Off Greater Chaco.

SFR gained entry to the session, but hotel workers demanded a reporter leave the property.

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