WildEarth Guardians

Tuesday, December 25, 2007
WildEarth Guardians puts pressure on Tecton

Texas company denies request to withdraw drilling application
Contact: Santa Fe New Mexican

Tecton Energy has denied a request from a local conservation group that it withdraw three drilling applications pending before the state Oil Conservation until Santa Fe County finalizes new regulations.

"Their denial of our request shows that Tecton couldn't care less about what the people of Santa Fe County think about the real threat of oil and gas development," John Horning, executive director at WildEarth Guardians, said in a Monday news release.

Horning said his group requested Saturday that Tecton withdraw its applications as a good-faith effort to prove the company values the public-input process the county is undertaking to write new regulations governing oil and gas.

Horning said the fact ecton filed the applications Dec. 13, the same day it participated in a closed-door session with drilling opponents and stakeholders, proved the company only wants to appear to be doing the right thing. "They talk about being good neighbors," Horning said. "They are very polished, and they went to oil and gas finishing school, but actions speak louder than words. I don't believe you should engage in niceties and pleasantries when someone is proceeding to change the status quo."

Tecton announced last summer that it has leased 65,000 acres of mineral rights in the county and has plans to drill for oil here. The county is in the process of writing new regulations in anticipation of Tecton's activities and passed a three-month moratorium on drilling applications about a month ago.

The county has hosted several public meetings on the topic. Formal public hearings on the adoption of the new regulations will start in January.

Commissioner Paul Campos arranged the invitation-only meeting with the major players earlier this month, and WildEarth Guardians was represented. Media were barred from attending, and no transcript was kept. Horning said the group hasn't decided yet if it will send someone to a follow-up meeting scheduled for Friday.

Participants, county residents and media representatives have questioned the wisdom of conducting closed-door meetings on the topic.

Steve Sugarman, an activist whose home is in Tecton's proposed drilling area, went to the meeting but said he told Campos closing it to media and the public was a public-relations blunder.

Commissioner Virginia Vigil, the only other commissioner who attended, said she would never bar the media from a meeting because she believes in governmental transparency. But, Vigil said, she has to respect Campos' methods and thought the meeting was beneficial.

Campos didn't answer calls Monday seeking more information about Friday's meeting, which is slated to include a panel of technical experts.

Horning said he has to weigh several issues when deciding whether WildEarth Guardians should participate in "collaborative process" meetings like the one held Dec. 13.

Chief among them is whether all parties are on a level playing field. "Imagine we convene a meeting with you and then file a lawsuit," he said.

Horning said he also has to decide if the meeting is an opportunity for real work to be done or simply a drain of time and resources the organization can't spare. "The industry side of the table can meet us to death," Horning said. "And often what emerges ... is a lowest common denominator that doesn't favor the will of the people who don't have access to the working groups."

Horning said WildEarth Guardians has been active in oil and gas issues for about the past five years, primarily activity that takes place on public lands.

The group recently issued a report stating the U.S. Bureau of Land Management issued more than 1,000 waivers of wildlife protective measures to oil and gas developers between 2001 and 2006. Horning said some of those waivers were granted in as little as 24 hours.

The release of the report coincided with the county's situation, Horning said. But he said he worries about a clause in the draft of the new oil and gas ordinance that would allowed drillers to obtain variances on setbacks from wells and residences.

"Based on our experience with the oil and gas industry, they get what they want and they get it pretty quick when they ask," Horning said.

Tecton did not respond to a request for comment Monday.

Contact Phaedra Haywood at 986-3068 or phaywood@sfnewmexican.com

Copyright 2007 Santa Fe New Mexican - Reprinted with permission