Historical New Mexico fracking information, 1922-2015
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This page contains historical information about fracking in New Mexico. For more current information about fracking in New Mexico, see this article.
According to Environment America, a conservation group that describes itself as being opposed to fracking, 1,353 wells were fracked in New Mexico from 2005 to June 2013.[1][2]
Fracking background
- See also: Fracking
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a method of oil and natural gas extraction. The process involves injecting fluid into subterranean rock formation at a high pressure, creating a fracture network that allows the crude oil and natural gas inside dense rocks to flow into a wellbore and be extracted at the surface. The fluid used in this process is made up of sand and water, which comprise 95 percent of the fluid, and other chemical additives, which comprise less than 5 percent of the fluid.[3]
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), there were approximately 23,000 hydraulically fractured wells in the United States in 2000. By 2015, there were an estimated 300,000 hydraulically fractured wells. To learn more about fracking, see this article.[4][5]
History
The first commercial oil well in New Mexico was drilled in 1922. A significant oil field near Hobbs, New Mexico was discovered in 1927 and the first well drilled there (Midwest State No. 1) produced 700 barrels of oil per day. This discovery resulted in the state's first oil boom.[6]
As of 2014, New Mexico ranked third nationwide in terms oil and natural gas production. There were 10 counties in the state producing natural gas at that time.[6]
Local ordinances
2013
In April 2013, county commissioners voted 2-1 to approve an ordinance banning fracking in Mora County. On January 19, 2015, a federal judge invalidated the ordinance. In his ruling, federal judge James O. Browning cited conflicts with state and federal law. In the wake of the ruling, Watchdog.org reported that the county was liable for "tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars" in legal fees. The original ordinance was written with the help of the Pennsylvania-based environmental group Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF).[7][8][9]
Fracking in the 50 states
Click on a state below to read more about energy in that state.
See also
External links
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, "New Mexico Profile"
- Frac Focus, "National Hydraulic Fracturing Chemical Registry"
Footnotes
- ↑ Environment America, "Fracking by the Numbers," October 2013
- ↑ Environment America, "Stop Fracking Our Future," accessed January 13, 2017
- ↑ Frack Wire, “What is Fracking,” accessed January 28, 2014
- ↑ University of Oklahoma, "Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Resources," accessed March 12, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Energy Information Administration, "Hydraulic fracturing accounts for about half of current U.S. crude oil production," March 15, 2016
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 American Oil and Gas Historical Society, "New Mexico Oil Discovery," accessed July 24, 2014
- ↑ Rob Nikolewski, "Decision invalidating fracking ban in Mora County," accessed February 13, 2015
- ↑ Watchdog.org, "Rejected fracking ban may cost NM county ‘hundreds of thousands’ in legal fees," January 29, 2015
- ↑ Watchdog.org, "Did a strict fracking ban take a small New Mexico county for a ride?" February 13, 2015
