New Mexico governor proposes $500M investment in treating oil production wastewater

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico would underwrite development of a strategic new source of water by buying treated water that originates from the used, salty byproducts of oil and natural gas drilling, and help preserve its freshwater aquifers in the process, under a proposal from the state’s Democratic governor.

The initiative from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, announced Tuesday from the international climate conference at Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, would set water purification standards and purchase treated water that originates from oil fields as well as the state’s vast natural underground reservoirs of brine. It requires legislative approval.