From Time Digital:

Environmentalists in New Mexico criticize Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s initiative to finance oil industry wastewater recycling, fearing the promotion of unproven technologies and the encouragement of more water-intensive fracking for oil and natural gas. The governor, aiming to develop a strategic water supply, seeks to purchase treated water from oil byproducts and underground aquifers, supposedly for industrial use. Environmental and social-justice groups oppose the initiative. They view it as a benefit for oil and gas producers. Others see it as access to more water supplies for the production of hydrogen. The governor’s plan involves using up to $500 mn in bonds over two years to underwrite the project. The state’s annual legislative session ends on Feb. 15 and approval from the Legislature is necessary for a construction-spending bill. The Environment Department is proposing a new regulatory framework for reusing the oil-industry wastewater and desalination of naturally occurring brine, with related request for technical and economic briefings, and holds the view that the saltwater is a crucial element in fracking and other advanced drilling techniques.



Read more: New Mexico governor wants $500m to convert fracking wastewater into a new source of recycled water for industrial use