February 12, 2025
By Ramona du Houx
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO- Children outside during recess breathe dangerous fossil fuel toxins directly, which can stunt growth. The pollutants can also cause respiratory diseases, reduced lung function, and increases asthma, nosebleeds, neurodevelopmental disorders, mental health issues, and pediatric cancer. Many studies found the exposure disrupts a student’s cognitive ability during school.
New Mexico State Representative Debbie Sariñana’s proposed legislation, Children’s Health Protection Zones HB 35, will prevent new wells from being drilled within a mile of a school.
“New Mexico’s school system has 34,000 children who attend school within a mile of an oil and gas production site. Schools in both the Permian and San Juan basins have oil and gas wells within a mile, and in at least one case, within a few hundred feet,” said New Mexico State Representative Debbie Sariñana, a retired teacher, Air Force veteran, Elected Officials to Protect America Leadership Council Co-chair. “While our children are attending school, too many breathe in invisible toxins that seep into their classes from oil and gas wells positioned dangerously close to their schools. In some cases, these polluting wells are adjacent to playgrounds.”
Jefferson Elementary in Hobbs is surrounded by 161 wells. The Eunice school district has 120 wells within 1 mile, and Lybrook Elementary in Farmington has 19 within 1 mile.
New Mexico has been experiencing more severe wildfires and floods, extended droughts that limit water supplies, and more extreme weather events and life-threatening heatwaves more people are starkly aware of the threats posed by the climate crisis. A 2024 Conservation in the West poll found that 59 percent of New Mexicans consider the climate crisis a very or extremely serious issue.
As a result of last year’s extreme weather, 83 percent of Governor Lujan Grisham’s 2024 executive orders addressed climate crisis emergency funding.
Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart’s proposed suite of bills – the Clear Horizons Act, the Community Benefits Fund, and the Innovation in Government Act – will help New Mexico reduce greenhouse gas emissions, invest in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis and innovate.
“New Mexicans want to keep our state beautiful, protect our cherished ways of life, and create new opportunities statewide for our families now and in the future. The Clear Horizons Act, Community Benefit Fund, and Innovation in Government Act will help our environment, our economy, and our communities for generations to come, and I urge my fellow legislators to join me in supporting these bills,” said New Mexico State Senate Pro-Tem Mimi Stewart.
- The Clear Horizons Act, Senate Bill 4, would create a regulatory framework that aligns state and industry pollution goals, paving the way for New Mexico to build a more innovative and sustainable economy.
- The Community Benefits Fund, Senate Bills 48 and 49, would invest $340 million in communities that have been disproportionately impacted by climate change, providing resources for renewable energy projects, energy efficiency upgrades, and other projects that reduce carbon pollution.
- The Innovation in Government Fund, Senate Bill 83, would provide $10 million in funding to state agencies to support efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
A coalition of environmental, social justice, and conservation advocates from more than 25 organizations across New Mexico expressed their strong support for Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart’s suite of bills during the January 28 hearing in the Senate Conservation Committee.
“Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart and Representative Debbie Sariñana’s leadership are key to ensuring the well-being of all New Mexicans. Their bills will protect communities, build prosperity, and slow the climate crisis. We urge the support of these reasonable proposals,” said Dominic Frongillo, Elected Officials to Protect America (EOPA) Executive Director and Co-Founder. “More than 500 elected officials signed an Elected Officials to Protect America’s letter urging health and safety setback zones for communities in California since 2018. Last year, legislation that protects children and communities from oil and gas operations with a 3,200 foot limit became law. Working with our lawmakers, other protections similar to Sen. Stewart’s suite of bills also are now the law in California.”
While there is a historic opportunity, with Democrats in charge of the House, Senate and Governor’s office, for these bills to pass it must be noted New Mexico’s oil and gas industry provides nearly a third of the annual operating budget. In the past this has led to good bills not making it past their respective committees.
That has likely worsened the climate crisis.
“Our indigenous communities are experiencing the most drastic effects of climate change. Our lands are hotter than ever. The continual drought impacts our farmers while extractive developments built near us put our community health at risk. It’s time to pass legislation to require industry to take the next steps to reduce their climate pollution so this and next generations have a chance to thrive,” said Ahtza Dawn Chavez, Executive Director of NM Native Vote.
Over the past few years, Reps. Nathan Small, D-Doña Ana, and Meredith Dixon, D-Bernalillo, and Sen. George Muñoz, D-Gallup, have risen to the tops of their respective financial committees, where they set budgets for state agencies such as those that regulate oil and gas production. Small and Dixon also sit on the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee, where they get first crack at most legislation that would affect the industry. Together, these three Democrats regularly act as a brake on regulation. They also are among the top 10 recipients of oil and gas industry donations in state government.
Elected Officials to Protect America is a network of current and former elected officials who care deeply about protecting the planet and people. EOPA is committed to solving the climate crisis, ensuring environmental justice, and protecting our lands, waters, and democracy. EOPA educates through value-based storytelling, training lawmakers, and connecting elected officials to inspire strong environmental leadership.
EOPA New Mexico is a statewide, non-partisan network of New Mexico elected officials committed to protecting our communities, public health, and climate for all we represent.