Six conservation organizations oppose a federal planning proposal for southeastern New Mexico because it would allow energy and mineral leasing across nearly all public land near Carlsbad.
In their view, the plan favors oil and gas extraction over public health, regional water resources, wildlife habitat, and the long-term condition of those public lands, Source NM reported.
Here's what to know
Citing the National Environmental Policy Act, the coalition submitted a formal protest to Bureau of Land Management Director Stevan Pearce on Oct. 13.
It held that the revised Carlsbad Resource Management Plan lacks the thorough assessment of environmental and human impacts required by law.
The BLM field office in Carlsbad manages more than 2 million surface acres and about 2.7 million subsurface acres in Eddy and Lea counties.
In a Sept. 4 release, the agency said the update would make 97% of that public land available for energy and mineral leasing and broaden grazing and recreation access.
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
In the same announcement, the agency referenced a May oil and gas lease sale involving 74 parcels in New Mexico and Texas.
Rebecca Sobel, climate and health director for WildEarth Guardians, told Source NM the "plan is a climate bomb."
The six groups behind the protest are the Western Environmental Law Center, Center for Biological Diversity, Citizens Caring For the Future, Earthworks, Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter, and WildEarth Guardians.
More background
The challenge follows a long-running rewrite of the Carlsbad plan, a process launched in 2011 for a management document that dates back to 1988.
According to Matt Nykiel, an attorney with the Western Environmental Law Center, public comment on a draft environmental impact statement last occurred in 2018, and later revisions did not reopen for additional input.
Opponents contend the current plan still does not sufficiently examine the consequences of more oil and gas development, from health and air-quality impacts to pressure on water supplies and possible groundwater contamination.
WildEarth Guardians warned in a report that the plan could pave the way for 12,096 more oil and gas wells over the next two decades and require 230 billion gallons of water.
If treated as a country, the plan would rank about 20th worldwide in annual carbon emissions, between Italy and Malaysia, Sobel observed.
More drilling infrastructure, the groups warned, could harm fragile desert ecosystems, interconnected cave and groundwater systems, land near Carlsbad Caverns National Park, and vulnerable species such as the lesser prairie chicken and dune sagebrush lizard.
What's being done?
In their protest, the groups are urging BLM to pull back the proposed plan, produce a supplemental environmental impact statement, and restart the process with renewed public participation and Tribal consultation.
They filed it on the last day allowed for formal challenges.
When asked about the dispute, BLM spokesperson Allison Sandoval told Source NM the agency does not comment on reports issued by outside advocacy groups.
She stated that the bureau's conclusions are presented in the Final Environmental Impact Statement, which "underwent extensive environmental review and public involvement."
The coalition says nearby communities depend on the air, water, and public lands covered by the plan every day.
Sobel added that the fight is also about whether people who live near these millions of acres can truly help shape what happens to them.
"The public needs to have a meaningful place to engage" on the proposal, she told Source NM.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
