New Mexico
NMED reaches record-high million settlement in gas flaring case – NM Political Report
A state agency reached a settlement agreement with an oil and gas company as New Mexico continues to crack down on air pollution from that sector. The New Mexico Environment Department announced the $24.5 million settlement with Ameredev II, LLC on Monday. This is the largest settlement that NMED has ever reached for violations of […]
A state agency reached a settlement agreement with an oil and gas company as New Mexico continues to crack down on air pollution from that sector.
The New Mexico Environment Department announced the $24.5 million settlement with Ameredev II, LLC on Monday. This is the largest settlement that NMED has ever reached for violations of regulations governing oil and gas and the majority of that money will go to the state’s general fund.
The state alleges that Ameredev flared off natural gas at five facilities between October 2018 and April 2020 because it did not have the ability to transport that gas to downstream processing facilities.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham praised the settlement as holding bad actors accountable for emissions. The governor, who has tried to present herself as a leader in addressing climate change, vowed to address emission from the oil and gas industry in 2019 after taking office.
“This settlement makes one thing crystal clear – companies that pollute our air will pay for circumventing New Mexico’s rules,” Lujan Grisham said in a press release. “Today’s settlement is about penalizing the bad actors in an effort to protect communities from breathing harmful pollution.”
A company spokesman said that Ameredev is taking the issue seriously and has not had any excess flaring-related emissions over the last four years. This is in part because of Ameredev’s significant and ongoing investments in advanced technologies and operational enhancements, he said.
“We are pleased to resolve this legacy issue, and look forward to continuing to responsibly work with the State of New Mexico and regional stakeholders to support the state’s economic development as well as American energy security,” Ameredev said in the statement emailed to NM Political Report.
While the settlement is the largest that NMED has reached for oil and gas emissions violations, it is much less than the company could have paid had it not agreed to the settlement and taken actions to address the pollution. NMED’s Environmental Protection Division fined Ameredev $40.3 million through an administrative compliance order in June.
“Let this serve as a wake-up call to the oil and gas industry – the Environment Department is using remote sensing technology, on-the-ground inspections, and responding to citizen complaints,” Environment Department Cabinet Secretary James Kenney said in a press release. “The only option to avoid enforcement is to comply with state rules and permits.”
NMED’s inspection of Ameredev facilities in 2019 came after Lea County residents who were concerned about the flaring contacted the state agency.
During a year and a half of operations, Ameredev allegedly flared off more than 3.2 million thousand cubic feet of natural gas. That gas released emissions equivalent to heating 16,640 homes for an entire year. In addition, the flaring also resulted in more than 7.6 million pounds of excess hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds being released into the atmosphere.
“This settlement holds the company accountable for failing to follow the terms of their permit and improperly releasing a substantial amount of natural gas into the environment,” General Counsel Zachary Ogaz said in a press release. “We will continue to strictly enforce NMED permits and New Mexico air regulations and show companies that cutting corners and violating the law won’t save you any money in the long run.”
Nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds react with sunlight to form ozone, or smog, which can lead to unhealthy air quality. Areas of New Mexico where oil and gas production is common tend to have higher levels of ozone and some of them are facing what is known as noncompliance. Noncompliance occurs when ozone levels exceed federal air quality standards. This can lead to sanctions from the federal government, including loss of funding for transportation projects.
Hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide can also cause health problems, including respiratory issues.
NMED states that the pollutants can also lead to impaired cognition and convulsions among those exposed and also contributing to climate change.
Prior to NMED issuing the administrative compliance order, Ameredev hired a third-party contractor to review how the company was complying with state requirements. The company also provided those results to NMED’s Air Quality Bureau.
According to NMED, Ameredev is now in compliance with the state rules and regulations.
As part of the settlement agreement, the company will hire a third-party contractor to perform an independent audit of its operations at all of the facilities it operates or owns in the state. It will also submit monthly reports that include calculations of actual emissions rates from facilities in New Mexico.
It will also propose a mitigation project that NMED may approve that will lead to weekly optical gas imaging inspections at facilities or the implementation of leak and repair monitoring technology.
Finally, Ameredev agreed to remove equipment from the Azalea Central Tank Battery.
The settlement comes amid a crackdown on pollution that has led to various agreements, including settlements with Apache Corporation, Matador Production Company and Mewborne Oil Company. The settlements stem from alleged emissions that occurred prior to the ozone precursor rule that went into effect in 2022.
Should Ameredev fail to fulfill its obligations under the settlement agreement, the company could face fines of $2,000 per day.
“I am grateful to our dedicated and hard-working compliance and enforcement staff who worked diligently to bring this case to fruition,” NMED Compliance and Enforcement Section Chief Cindy Hollenberg said in a press release. “The Air Quality Bureau is committed to deterring noncompliance such as this and leveling the playing field for those companies that prioritize protecting the environment.”
LAS CRUCES, N.M. (KFOX14/CBS4) — A leader in the New Mexico Republican Party was arrested Wednesday, accused of a deadly hit-and-run in Las Cruces.
Former Treasurer of the Republican Party in New Mexico, Kimberly Ann Skaggs, 54, was arrested Wednesday and charged with leaving the scene and tampering with evidence, jail records show.
Police documents show the charges stem from a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened Monday afternoon, which killed 40-year-old bicyclist, Andrew Brown.
Investigators believed Skaggs was involved after an investigation revealed that Skaggs allegedly was driving fast in the area, fled the scene after the crash and then tried to hide the vehicle from authorities.
RECOMMENDED: Las Cruces couple arrested on murder, child abuse charges in neighbor’s stabbing death
The investigation
According to police documents, a witness at the scene of the crash– 850 N. Fairacres Rd.– described seeing a dark blonde-haired woman flee in a black Cadillac Escalade SUV.
Afterwards, investigators said they saw on Flock cameras– A.I. powered license plate readers– a black Cadillac Escalade traveling near the site of the crash minutes before the incident.
READ MORE: Dona Ana County expands Flock license plate cameras as officials cite crime-solving gains
The license plates showed that the vehicle belonged to Skaggs and that, in September 2025, the Las Cruces Police Department had given her a citation for “racing on streets-exhibition driving.”
Investigators stated that a business on Picacho Ave. captured what they alleged was the same black Cadillac Escalade driving fast.
Then, the documents described how investigators tracked down the Escalade using OnStar’s live GPS tracking, discovering the SUV was at a property on the 5000 block of Northwind Road, which investigators said the Dona Ana County Assessors Office confirmed is a property owned by Skaggs.
On Tuesday, at around 6:41 p.m.– over 24 hours after the deadly hit-and-run– investigators executed a search warrant on the property and described finding the black Cadillac Escalade behind a home, under a red metal carport.
Investigators noted damage on the SUV consistent with the crash, highlighting that there was blood splatter near one of the front tires, markings on the front bumper consistent with hitting a bicycle and parts missing, which investigators said were the same parts found at the scene.
Dona Ana County jail records show Skaggs was booked on Wednesday afternoon and remains jailed without a bond.
RECOMMENDED: Noises in an empty Mesilla home led to discovery of burglar naked in bathtub
About Skaggs
On the official website of the Republican Party of New Mexico, Skaggs was listed as the treasurer before she was removed.
KFOX14/CBS4 has reached out to the Republican Party to learn more and are waiting for a comment regarding the arrest.
Also, according to election statistics, Skaggs ran for State Representative in District 36 in 2022 and 2024, losing both times to Democrat Nathan P. Small.
Sign up to receive the top interesting stories from in and around our community once daily in your inbox.
SANTA FE, N.M. – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham asked Attorney General Raúl Torrez to investigate whether any Drug Enforcement Administration agents broke state law when pills reached New Mexico streets.
In a statement, Lujan Grisham said, “make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities.”
The governor also shared a timeline from 2022 to 2025 that she said shows when she asked federal officials for help with New Mexico’s fentanyl crisis and violent crime.
Lujan Grisham said the first request came on June 21, 2022, when she wrote to then-Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray and asked for 50 additional federal agents.
She said she wrote to then-Attorney General Merrick Garland on Sept. 15, 2022, asking for more agents, resources and support for New Mexico law enforcement.
Lujan Grisham said she wrote Garland a second time on Aug. 8, 2023, with the same request.
What came next?
About a month later, Lujan Grisham said she sent Garland a third letter and said New Mexico needed more federal law enforcement to curb violent crime, drug trafficking and human trafficking.
She said her most recent request came on Sept. 4, 2025, when she wrote to former Attorney General Pam Bondi and again asked for additional agents and resources.
The governor’s statement says those requests span several years as she pressed the federal government for more help in New Mexico.
Full statement from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham:
“I am appalled by reporting this week by the Associated Press and Albuquerque Journal that revealed federal authorities made a deliberate decision to let hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills flood into New Mexico communities, despite knowing that fentanyl is so lethal the White House has designated it a weapon of mass destruction.
Let me say that again: the Drug Enforcement Administration watched as 74,000 fentanyl pills were delivered to a mobile home park in Albuquerque, and they did nothing. And that’s just one transaction. Shockingly, the federal government stood by while monitoring shipments, tallying exact pill counts, and watching as these deadly drugs hit the streets.
There are no words to describe how reckless and dangerous these decisions were. Make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities, and the agency let it happen anyway. The result: hundreds of New Mexican parents burying their kids. Hundreds of New Mexican kids growing up without stable parents. All while the federal government stood by.
If the justification for letting these pills flood our communities was that it would somehow make New Mexico safer down the road through bigger eventual busts, the results say otherwise. New Mexico now leads the nation in the increase in overdose deaths for the second straight year, despite deaths dropping nationwide.
Today, I wrote to Attorney General Raúl Torrez and asked him to investigate whether any federal agents broke state law when they allowed lethal drugs to remain on our streets, and to prosecute anyone responsible — regardless of whether they are a federal agent or not.
I have spent years working across two administrations — writing letters, traveling to Washington, meeting directly with President Joe Biden and his cabinet, pushing for accountability, asking for more federal agents to be deployed to New Mexico to help fight this crisis.
- On June 21, 2022, I wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray, imploring the FBI to assign no less than 50 additional agents to New Mexico to stem escalating drug trafficking and violent crime.
- On September 15, 2022, I wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland, requesting that the Department of Justice provide additional federal agents, resources and support to New Mexico law enforcement. We asked the department to match the level of investigative, analytical, and technical resources the FBI had deployed in its Buffalo, NY surge.
- On August 8, 2023, I wrote again to Attorney General Garland, renewing my request that the DOJ expeditiously assign more federal agents to New Mexico.
- On September 7, 2023, I wrote to Attorney General Garland for a third time, reiterating my request once more federal law enforcement support to curb violent crime, drug and human trafficking.
- On September 4, 2025, I wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, once again requesting additional agents and resources.
I have declared the surge of drugs like fentanyl to be a public health emergency. I have deployed the National Guard to both Albuquerque and Española. While my administration was doing everything we could to stem the tide of fentanyl coming into our state, the federal government deliberately allowed it to flood in.
New Mexican lives are not the federal government’s cost of doing business.
I plan to hold the federal government accountable for this disaster and will explore every possible avenue of action against the federal government to right these wrongs.”
The Canyon Venado Fire has grown to 852 acres east of Clines Corners and crews say wind farms in the area are threatened.
CLINES CORNERS, N.M. – The Canyon Venado Fire has grown to 852 acres east of Clines Corners and crews say wind farms in the area are threatened.
The fire is burning just east of Clines Corners, south of Interstate 40.
It forced the closure of eastbound Interstate 40 at Clines Corners on Tuesday night. I-40 reopened Tuesday night. I-40 is back open but smoke still affects visibility.
“We’re on the side of I-40 so drivers have to be pretty cautious. As far as our establishment itself we’re pretty isolated by the freeway itself as a nice fire break,” said Lincoln Tarantino, Clines Corner general manager.
The fire has burned around 852 acres, up from just 20 at this time Monday.
Crews say the fire is not contained and wind farms in the area are threatened.
-
World7 minutes agoWho will control Africa’s AI infrastructure and at what cost
-
News34 minutes agoThe Supreme Court says the U.S. can turn away asylum seekers at the border
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoJury says it is deadlocked in trial of man accused in Palisades Fire
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoScene active as police shoot, kill man on Detroit’s west side
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoCivil grand jury report warns of wildfire risk at SF’s Glen Canyon Park
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoIvory Coast advances at World Cup, how to buy Ivory Coast tickets
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoMen used fake credentials to enter Brazil vs. Scotland match at Miami Stadium, deputies say
-
Boston, MA3 hours ago3 arrested after trying to break into downtown building, Boston police say – The Boston Globe
