New Mexico forges rule for treatment and reuse of oil-industry fracking water amid protests
By MORGAN LEE
Associated Press
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Environmental officials in the nation’s No. 2 state for petroleum production are taking initial steps toward regulating the treatment and reused of oil-industry fracking water. New Mexico has been grappling with scarce water supplies, and fossil fuel producers are confronting shrinking opportunities for water disposal. The state’s water pollution control commission opened on Monday a weeklong series of hearings. New Mexico has been starting to build out rules that would prohibit the release after treatment of so-called produced water from oil and gas production while still opening the way for pilot projects for treatment.
