Petition launched to protect Albuquerque's West Mesa from oil & gas drilling
A young boy plays in his Farmington backyard adjacent to an oil drill and mine.
One Sky New Mexico launched a recent petition to halt oil and gas drilling on both Albuquerque's West Mesa and the Galisteo Basin near Santa Fe.
According the the One Sky website:
"A Texas based oil company, Tecton, has leased 65,000 acres in the Galisteo Basin and 50,000 acres on Albuquerque's West Mesa for oil and gas drilling. Tecton has already started looking for oil on the West Mesa, using three wells. If Tecton strikes oil, Albuquerque residents could see more than a thousand wells on the horizon."
"The actual act of drilling an oil well poses serious risks to Albuquerque’s way of life. Oil companies inject chemicals into underground aquifers, thus putting precious water supplies in danger. Oil wells also release toxic chemicals, increase ozone levels and smog, and contribute to air pollution."
