Overview

• An Associated Press analysis found 694 active or newly permitted oil and gas wells within a mile of 74 New Mexico schools and preschools, potentially exposing about 29,500 students to noxious emissions
• At Lybrook Elementary near the San Juan Basin, students reported nausea, headaches and vomiting linked to hydrogen sulfide and other pollutants from 17 wells within a mile
• A Simon Fraser University study showed increasing PM2.5 exposure from fossil fuel pollution corresponds to measurable declines in student test scores, even after accounting for socioeconomic factors
• New Mexico has only 20 permanent air quality monitors statewide—most stationed away from oil and gas production—limiting data on pollution near affected schools
• Efforts to expand drilling setbacks include a 2023 ban on new state land leases near schools and pending lawsuits, but a bill stalled in the legislature as lawmakers weighed the industry’s $1.7 billion contribution to K-12 funding