New Mexico

Top oil and gas bills to watch during New Mexico’s 2024 Legislative Session

Published

2 years ago

January 10, 2024

Top oil and gas bills to watch during New Mexico’s 2024 Legislative Session

New Mexico lawmakers started prefiling bills last week ahead of the 2024 Legislative Session that starts Jan. 16, with many seeking to amend how the state regulates its leading industry oil and gas.

The 30-day budget-focused session will see legislators debating how to spend a $3.5 billion infusion of “new money” largely from oil and gas, but several of the bills already filed would change state laws governing how the industry operates in New Mexico.

Here are the top oil and gas bills to watch during the 2024 New Mexico Legislative Session.

More: New Mexico oilfield lawmakers ready to defend oil, gas from ‘tightening noose’ of regulation

New Mexico House Bill 30 – water use in oil and gas drilling

HB 30, sponsored by Rep. Debra Sarinana (D-21), would amend the state’s Oil and Gas Act to prohibit the use of freshwater in oil and gas drilling at depths lower than freshwater tables. This bill also would require operators to use treated or recycled produced water instead.

Produced water is a combination of flowback from hydraulic fracturing operations, known as “fracking” and formation water brought to the surface with crude oil and natural gas.

In recent years, operators began treating and reusing this water for subsequent fracking operations, instead of disposing of it as waste via reinjection and the bill sought to codify this practice into law.

It would also require operators to submit annual reports on their water usage to the Oil Conservation Division which would then publish the reports online.

More: Lea and Eddy counties continue leading in contribution to state revenue, study says

New Mexico House Bill 31 – penalties for oil and gas spills, wastewater management

Sarinana also pre-filed HB 31 that would outlaw spills or leaks of oil or produced water into the environment from extraction facilities.

As it stands, such spills violate state law if the operator fails to report or take steps to remediate the incident, and this bill would mean operators are in violation the moment the spill occurs.

It would also specify financial damages the operator would pay based on the size of the spill.

More: Gov. Lujan Grisham seeks $500M to buy oil and gas wastewater to support energy projects

Spills of less than five barrels of oil or other drilling liquids would incur a $2,000 fine, while a $10,000 penalty would be assessed for spills of five to 25 barrels.

For spills of more than 25 barrels, the fine would climb to $25,000 plus another $2,000 for each barrel spilled more than 25 barrels.

Another portion of the bill would require the Oil Conservation Division to determine the chemical composition of spilled produced water, treated or not, and make the information publicly available.

More: Democrats admit to diluting GOP votes in congressional map redraw, but argue its allowed

The bill also added language to specify that any use of produced water resulting in water pollution be prohibited, and that the use and movement of produced water be tracked in New Mexico and reported on publicly.

HB 31 would appropriate $750,000 to the Oil Conservation Division to hire five full-time employees tasked with carrying out the bill’s provisions.

New Mexico House Bill 32 – school ‘protection zones’ from oil and gas

Sarinana’s third oil and gas bill would create “children’s health protection zones” where oil and gas operations would be banned within one mile of schools starting in July. Existing oil and gas operations within the buffer would be phased out by 2028.

This would expand a similar policy put in place earlier this year by the New Mexico State Land Office that blocked such operations on State Trust land.

More: Almost $3 billion goes to New Mexico from oil and gas on public land

Civil penalties of $30,000 per day, per violation could be assessed against companies operating within the buffer zones, should the bill pass. The fines would be capped at $200,000.

Operators would also be required to submit maps and an inventory of facilities and schools to the Oil Conservation Division when applying for permits.

The bill also added requirements for operations within the protection zone to curb noise, air pollution emissions, traffic and increased leak detection, and included language to allow companies to apply for variances.

New Mexico House Bill 48 – increased fees paid for oil and gas operations

Sponsored by Rep. Matthew McQueen (D-50), HB 48 would increase royalty payments operators pay to New Mexico to produce oil and gas on State Trust lands.

The rate would go up from 20 percent to 25 percent of the cash value of the produced oil and gas if the bill passes.

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

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New Mexico

Santa Fe seeks to swap land with state to benefit midtown campus

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10 hours ago

January 14, 2026

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New Mexico

Actor Timothy Busfield turns himself in following child sex abuse allegations in New Mexico

Published

22 hours ago

January 13, 2026

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Actor Timothy Busfield turns himself in following child sex abuse allegations in New Mexico

Timothy Busfield turned himself into police on Tuesday after authorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant for the director and Emmy Award-winning actor accused of child sex abuse.

A spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department confirmed to CBS News that Busfield had surrendered. He was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County on a child sex abuse charge. The arrest warrant, which was signed by a judge, said the charge was for two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.

An investigator with the Albuquerque Police Department on Friday filed a criminal complaint which alleged a child reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately. The acts allegedly occurred on the set of “The Cleaning Lady,” a TV series that Busfield directed and acted in.

In a video provided to TMZ, Busfield said the allegations “are all lies.”

“I did not do anything to those little boys,” the 68-year-old actor said in the video appearing to show him in Albuquerque. He said he arrived in the city after driving 2,000 miles. Busfield’s attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday.

Actor Timothy Busfield after being booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Bernalillo County, New Mexico. Jan. 13, 2026.

Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center

The criminal complaint filed by an investigator with Albuquerque police says the boy reported that he was 7 years old when Busfield touched him three or four times on private areas over his clothing. Busfield allegedly touched him five or six times on another occasion when he was 8, the complaint said.

The child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him, the complaint said.

The boy’s twin brother told authorities he was touched by Busfield but did not specify where. He said he didn’t say anything because he didn’t want to get in trouble.

When interviewed by authorities, Busfield suggested that the boys’ mother was seeking revenge for her children being replaced on the series. He also said he likely would have picked up and tickled the boys, saying the set was a playful environment.

The mother of the twins — who are identified only by their initials in court records — reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.

“The Cleaning Lady” aired for four seasons on Fox, ending in 2025. It was produced by Warner Bros., which according to the complaint conducted its own investigation into the abuse allegations but was unable to corroborate them.

Busfield is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” the latter of which won him an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 1991. He is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, who deactivated her Instagram account amid the allegations.

Gilbert indicated through a publicist that she won’t speak publicly at the request of attorneys for Busfield while the legal process unfolds.

“Her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family,” publicist Ame Van Iden said in a statement. “Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time.”

The investigation began in November 2024, when the investigator responded to a call from a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque. The boys’ parents had gone there at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.

According to the complaint, one of the boys has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. A social worker documented him saying he has had nightmares about Busfield touching him.