U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce, R-N.M., hasn’t taken a position on a proposed moratorium on drilling on the Otero Mesa because he wants to see what the experts in the Interior Department think about the idea.
Pearce plans to wait for the Interior Department to take a position and support it, spokesman Brian Phillips said.
“There’s all this political rigmarole, but why don’t we let the experts tell us what they need,” Phillips said.
The proposed delay in leasing land for oil and gas drilling has the support of three of
A 2006 federal study estimated that there could be 57 million acre-feet of groundwater – 15 million of them potable – under the Otero Mesa, which is recharged by surface water runoff that some fear could be polluted by drilling.
Domenici and Bingaman are now asking for a more in-depth study to better determine how much water is under the mesa and examine the impact drilling would have.
The Interior Department hasn’t yet responded to the request from the three members of Congress, but is expected to do so soon.
Phillips said there is some confusion about whether the BLM has already determined if drilling would harm the aquifer. The planned oil and gas leasing program doesn’t allow more than 1,589 acres of land to be used for drilling at any time – less than 1/10 of 1 percent of the 2 million acres that make up the Otero Mesa, he pointed out.
“Congressman Pearce is all for waiting to see what the studies say, if they still need to be completed,” Phillips said. “But if (officials in the Interior Department) clear it, then by all means, why should we wait?”
McCamley urges Pearce to support moratorium
On Tuesday, the Doña Ana County Board of Commissioners is set to consider a resolution in support of a moratorium. Commissioners Karen Perez and Bill McCamley are bringing forth the resolution, and McCamley will present it.
McCamley is one of two Democrats vying for the right to take on Pearce next year. Though I wrote about it earlier this week, McCamley’s campaign put out a news release today officially announcing his support of the moratorium.
“Although oil is a major contributor to our economy, in the desert we cannot exist without a ready supply of water,” he said in the release. “We should slow down, take a step back and examine the Otero Mesa as a potential source of fresh water.”
The news release came out before Phillips made his comments to me. Prior to that, Pearce had been silent on the issue, and McCamley called him to task for that.
“This is one issue where the congressman should put away his rubber stamp, stand up to the Bush Administration and put