Southwest
New Mexico faces opposition to governor's water recycling initiative over concerns of increased fracking
- Environmental activists have opposed Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s initiative in New Mexico aimed at financing the treatment and recycling of oil-industry wastewater.
- Critics say that the plan relies on unproven technologies and may lead to more water-intensive fracking for oil and natural gas.
- Grisham seeks legislative and regulatory changes to allow the state to develop a new source of water by buying and selling treated water.
Environmental activists pushed back Monday against an initiative from the governor of New Mexico that would finance the treatment and recycling of oil-industry wastewater, warning that the plan relies on unproven technologies and might propel more water-intensive fracking for oil and natural gas.
Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is seeking legislation and regulatory changes that would allow the state to finance development of a strategic new source of water by buying and selling treated water that originates from the used, salty byproducts of oil and natural gas drilling or from underground saltwater aquifers.
The aim is to help preserve freshwater sources by providing a new source of recycled water for industrial uses, at the same time helping an arid state attract businesses ranging from microchip manufacturers to hydrogen fuel producers.
NEW MEXICO OFFICIALS PROPOSE REGULATIONS FOR REUSE OF FRACKING WASTEWATER
An array of environmental and social-justice groups gathered outside the Statehouse to denounce the governor’s plan as a handout to the oil and natural gas industry that won’t necessarily decrease pressure on the state’s ancient underground aquifers.
Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham speaks on Aug. 9, 2023, in Belen, New Mexico. Grisham’s proposal underwrite the treatment and recycling of oil-industry wastewater is being denounced by environmentalists. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
“It’s intended to help oil and gas producers, particularly in the Permian Basin, to resolve their enormous problem with wastewater disposal and allow for continued extraction” of petroleum, said Mariel Nanasi, executive director of the environmental and consumer protection group New Energy Economy.
Julia Bernal, executive director of the environmental justice group Pueblo Action Alliance, sees the initiative as an attempt to secure more water supplies for the production of hydrogen.
Hydrogen can be made by splitting water with solar, wind, nuclear or geothermal electricity yielding little if any planet-warming greenhouse gases. But most hydrogen today is not made this way and does contribute to climate change because it is made from natural gas.
“We would like to see more investment in wind and solar, more community based projects,” said Bernal, a tribal member of Sandia Pueblo.
NEW MEXICO GOV. GRISHAM PROPOSES PLAN TO TURN OILFIELD WASTE INTO CLEAN WATER SUPPLY
Inside the Capitol, state Environment Department Secretary James Kenney briefed a state Senate budget-writing on the administration’s plan to underwrite the project with up to $500 million in bonds over a two-year period, to spur private investment in water-treatment and desalination infrastructure.
Approval from the Legislature is necessary under a construction-spending bill that has not yet been introduced. The state’s annual legislative session ends on Feb. 15.
The Environment Department is proposing a new regulatory framework for reusing oil-industry wastewater and desalination of naturally occurring brine. On Monday, it also announced a related request for technical and economic briefings by people in business, academia, government agencies — or other interested individuals.
New Mexico has extensive underground reservoirs of salty water that have been of limited use. That brackish water is a crucial component in hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and advanced drilling techniques that have helped turn New Mexico into the No. 2 oil production state in the U.S.
Read the full article from Here
A man armed with a knife was shot by L.A. police officers responding to an assault with a deadly weapon call overnight, authorities said.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers with the Hollenbeck Division responded to an apartment complex in the 3000 block of Glenn Avenue in Boyle Heights at 1:45 a.m. Saturday after callers reported a male suspect was armed with a knife and had just assaulted someone in the complex.
Arriving officers found the suspect in front of the residence, but he did not comply with officers’ commands to drop the weapon. He then advanced toward the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred, LAPD confirmed.
“The suspect was struck by gunfire and remained non-compliant,” the LAPD Public Information Officer said on X early Saturday morning. “Officers deployed a 40mm foam round and ultimately took the suspect into custody.”
Video obtained by KTLA shows the man being loaded into an ambulance and taken to a hospital; officials said he was transported in stable condition, adding that his knife was recovered at the scene and booked as evidence.
No officers or community members were injured during the incident. The man’s name was not released.
Dangerous rip currents and high surf are forecast for Los Angeles County beaches, including the Malibu Coast this weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous beach statement, warning of the potentially deadly beach conditions. The dangerous conditions are forecast to last from Saturday evening to Monday morning.
“There is an increased risk of ocean drowning,” the NWS forecast reads. “Rip currents can pull swimmers and surfers out to sea. Waves can wash people off beaches and rocks, and capsize small boats nearshore.”
-
A guide to surviving rip currents from the National Weather Service (NWS)
Minor Beach erosion and coastal flooding is possible through the weekend. The flooding is most likely to occur during evening high tides from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water and remain near lifeguard towers. Jetties and tidepools are also especially dangerous during the weekend forecast.
“Rock jetties can be deadly in such conditions, stay off the rocks,” the NWS forecast reads.
Similar hazardous beach conditions are also in the forecast for Santa Barbara County. A high surf advisory is also in effect for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties this weekend, where 10 to 15-foot waves will be possible.
If you live or want to live in Los Angeles, the city controller has released a new dashboard highlighting some of the city’s most notorious problem rental properties, a tool designed to help renters avoid future headaches.
“This project comes at a time when tenants are reporting harassment and illegal evictions violating the City’s Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance and Tenant Anti‑Harassment Ordinance, but very few of the complaints end up leading to strong enforcement or real accountability,” L.A. City Controller Kenneth Mejia said in a media release Thursday.
The new Top 100 Problem Rental Properties dashboard includes a searchable database of all residential addresses with reported housing violation cases within the city of Los Angeles, a ranked list of the 100 addresses with the most violations and an interactive map.
“There has never before been an uncomplicated way for anyone to look up years’ worth of violations by address,” Mejia said in the release.
Data for the dashboard was compiled from multiple sources, including the Los Angeles Housing Department, Los Angeles City Planning and the L.A. County Assessor’s Office, according to the controller’s office.
The release also identified the top three addresses with the highest number of reported housing violations:
1. 636 1/2 North Hill Place, Chinatown
192 housing violation cases
2. 11700 West Wilshire Boulevard, Sawtelle
166 housing violation cases
3. 6650 West Forest Lawn Drive, Hollywood Hills
113 housing violation cases
“Our new dashboard is an easy‑to‑understand public tool that we hope will help renters and organizers document patterns of harm, as well as put pressure on both landlords and the City to act,” Mejia said. “Everyone deserves safe, stable and dignified housing.”
-
New Jersey2 minutes agoRedesigned New Jersey golf course holes drawing rave reviews
-
New Mexico8 minutes agoLine Fire, Mimms Fire – Quay County – Update
-
North Carolina14 minutes ago
NC Uber driver rejects more trips as gas tops $4 per gallon
-
North Dakota19 minutes agoFargo Police participate in torch run for Special Olympics North Dakota – KVRR Local News
-
Ohio26 minutes agoOhio Highway Patrol investigating fatal head-on crash on U.S. Route 62
-
Oklahoma32 minutes agoOklahoma ‘Getting Gritty’ After SEC Tournament Loss
-
Oregon38 minutes agoRecall issued for organic ice cream sold in Oregon over metal concerns
-
Pennsylvania44 minutes agoSen. McCormick tours NSF-funded AI-powered biotech labs at Penn
