New Mexico Governor Proposes $500M Plan to Treat Oil-Industry Wastewater

Environmental Activists Criticize Initiative as Benefiting Oil and Gas Industry, Potentially Leading to More Water-Intensive Fracking

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham proposes a $500 million initiative to treat and recycle wastewater from the oil industry.
The plan aims to develop a new source of water by treating and selling water that originates from the byproducts of oil and natural gas drilling or from underground saltwater aquifers.
Environmental activists and social-justice groups criticize the plan as a handout to the oil and natural gas industry, arguing it relies on unproven technologies and may lead to more water-intensive fracking.
The initiative is seen by some as an attempt to secure more water supplies for the production of hydrogen, a process that currently contributes to climate change as it is primarily made from natural gas.
The proposal requires legislative approval and involves a new regulatory framework for reusing oil-industry wastewater and desalination of naturally occurring brine.