Endangered species habitat in the oil patch hot topic at oil and gas industry meeting

By NM State Land Commissioner 

SANTA FE, NM – Oil and gas industry efforts to conserve and protect five aquatic species native to Southeast New Mexico and West Texas will be addressed at the New Mexico State Land Office’s quarterly oil and gas industry outreach meeting.

The Texas hornshell mussel, Rio Grande River cooter, gray redhorse, blue sucker, and Pecos springsnail are state-listed threatened or endangered species and the hornshell has been proposed for federal Endangered Species Act protection. The State Land Office manages nearly 90,000 acres of State Trust Lands that could be affected by the listing of the hornshell and other species.

Highlights of the agenda include further discussion of State Land Commissioner Aubrey Dunn’s efforts to enroll oil and gas lessees in his office’s Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances (CCAA); an update on the status of the Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund and the push to plug abandoned wells; oil and gas lease nominations; and the shut-in oil well royalty program.

The meeting is scheduled on Tuesday, February 6, 2018, 1:00 p.m., in the State Land Office’s Morgan Hall, 310 Old Santa Fe Trail, Santa Fe.