Dear Editor,
We are mothers and grandmothers who live, work, and raise our families in the Permian Basin. We choose to live here and are proud to do so. As mothers, our goal is to watch our children grow, thrive, and excel in the path that is right for them. Our greatest joys and challenges are raising our children, and we do not take lightly to be accused of putting them in a position of harm.
In a recent House Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Debbie Sariñana proposed HB 35, a bill that would impose a 1-mile setback from schools. In the debate, it said that by living close to oil and gas production, we could be risking our children’s health, happiness, and well-being. It was even suggested that we may be poisoning them. This is not only scientifically inaccurate but wildly inappropriate.
Rep. Sariñana stated she did her student teaching in Carlsbad, NM, years ago. If so, she will remember how proud we are to call southeast New Mexico home. She will know we are fiercely protective of our children and hold them to high standards, just like we do the businesses that operate here.
In our research, we have found that our communities and counties already have setbacks in place that have been vetted through local ordinances. In outreach to our local elected and state officials, we have expressed that we did not ask for or want the regulations that HB 35 are proposing.
In a press release from July 3, 2024, NMED stated that 60% of facilities monitored in a study completed by the agency and EPA were out of compliance. That number is unacceptable, and we expect better. On Feb. 4, 2025, NMED posted about the same violation number on social media, reiterating the correct percentage. We hold companies responsible for their infractions, but we also expect that elected officials do not misquote statements for political gain. However, Rep. Sariñana has continued to claim that 70% of the oil and gas industry (not just those facilities monitored in the study) is out of air regulation compliance.
Facts matter, especially when it comes to accountability. Elected officials and policymakers must be held accountable for the statistics they use to frame a narrative. Cherry-picking data to create a sense of fear or urgency misrepresents reality.
Rep. Sariñana, mother to mother, we ask that you please stop accusing us of placing our children in harm’s way. NM Legislators, we implore you to please listen to local residents and not a legislator’s proposal who lives hundreds of miles away from our chosen home.
Adahi Medrano
Alisha Luna
Amy Donahue
Amy Matthews
Ana Martinez
Andria Henkes
Bailey Kimble
Becca Titus
Brisa Lozano
Carol Parish
Cici Papez
Corina Carrasco
Danielle Mendoza
Dilayme Flores
Disa Walker
Dora Juarez
Ekta Bhakta
Emily Haggard
Emily Hendon
Emily Townsend
Gloria Martinez
Haley Kinney
Heidi Barton
Jane Eidson
Janette Brown
Jennifer Grassham
JoAnn Penick
Kalea Blackwood
Karen McReynolds
Kayla Norton
Kristi Phillips
Laura Davis
Linda Gist
Linda Maynard
Luisa Zambrano
Lydia Gray
Magdalena Perez
Nelly Perez
Norma Abarca
Osheanna Lucero
Patty Patel
Rebecca Jamison
Renee Claunch
Rosa Richert
Sanjuanita Gomez
Stefanie Vega
Sue Gunter
Tracy Kuykendall
Victoria Hernandez
Thank you,
Jennifer Grassham
President & CEO of EDCLC
Hobbs, NM
