Home, Hobbs and Oil Laws
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Tags: energy policy, Hobbs, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, unremediated drilling sites
Tags: energy policy, Hobbs, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, unremediated drilling sites
I recently went and visited my family in Hobbs, NM for the Fourth of July. We barbecued, reminisced about old times, and later we went out that night to view the fireworks show. My brother-in-law had a "spot" that we went to via some oil field roads, and it took us to a great view of the glittery pyrotechnics. What I had not anticipated was parking off of one of these dirt roads only to land ourselves into a huge cloud of natural gas. I looked over to see pipes pumping up gas, yet it definitely seemed like some gas was leaking from the smell of things.
My youngest sister expressed how the strong smell was bothering her and was worried that all this leaking gas was dangerous to be around. As we were going back to our cars to look for a less gaseous location, my nephew tripped on two big pipes that ran in and out of the ground. My brother-in-law then told us that there are tons of these lines that run throughout the area and they transport oil and gas. We all commented on how much safer we'd feel if these lines were better taken care of and not above the ground where they could easily be run over and fractured.
I've seen these types of don't ask, don't tell situations in Hobbs growing up. I've found many unremediated drilling sites there throughout my childhood wanderings, and there have been many accounts of groundwater contamination that has affected the health of some my friends and their family.
There are large instances of drilling waters and muds being disposed of in on-site pits or they are just buried at the drill site. These drilling muds and produced waters are known to contain volatile organic compounds and heavy metals, and thus create yet another probable situation of land and water contamination in the region. This is possible because according to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, "drilling fluids, produced water, and other wastes associated with the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and gas. . ." are not subject to federal hazardous waste laws.
These are just a few examples of the loopholes and exemptions oil companies are allowed, not just in Hobbs, nor New Mexico, but throughout our country. This allows companies to pollute and not be held accountable for it, while also putting nearby citizens' health at risk through soil and water pollution.
With all these calls for opening up of pristine wildernesses and more of our offshore areas for drilling; I say we need to first update drilling laws to hold oil companies more accountable for their lack of oversight and the pollution at all of their drilling sites. We cannot allow for oil companies to get access to more land to drill on, especially areas of pristine wilderness and ones near ocean ecosystems, when they can't clean up after themselves on past and current drilling sites and take advantage of many loopholes that allow them to do so.
My youngest sister expressed how the strong smell was bothering her and was worried that all this leaking gas was dangerous to be around. As we were going back to our cars to look for a less gaseous location, my nephew tripped on two big pipes that ran in and out of the ground. My brother-in-law then told us that there are tons of these lines that run throughout the area and they transport oil and gas. We all commented on how much safer we'd feel if these lines were better taken care of and not above the ground where they could easily be run over and fractured.
I've seen these types of don't ask, don't tell situations in Hobbs growing up. I've found many unremediated drilling sites there throughout my childhood wanderings, and there have been many accounts of groundwater contamination that has affected the health of some my friends and their family.
There are large instances of drilling waters and muds being disposed of in on-site pits or they are just buried at the drill site. These drilling muds and produced waters are known to contain volatile organic compounds and heavy metals, and thus create yet another probable situation of land and water contamination in the region. This is possible because according to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, "drilling fluids, produced water, and other wastes associated with the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and gas. . ." are not subject to federal hazardous waste laws.
These are just a few examples of the loopholes and exemptions oil companies are allowed, not just in Hobbs, nor New Mexico, but throughout our country. This allows companies to pollute and not be held accountable for it, while also putting nearby citizens' health at risk through soil and water pollution.
With all these calls for opening up of pristine wildernesses and more of our offshore areas for drilling; I say we need to first update drilling laws to hold oil companies more accountable for their lack of oversight and the pollution at all of their drilling sites. We cannot allow for oil companies to get access to more land to drill on, especially areas of pristine wilderness and ones near ocean ecosystems, when they can't clean up after themselves on past and current drilling sites and take advantage of many loopholes that allow them to do so.
