SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – The state’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) received record funding in fiscal year 2024, according to a report by the Legislative Finance Committee. And with the funding, the department is able to invest heavily in wildfire prevention and oil and gas cleanup.
The department received $5 million for wildfire prevention from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The department also got $6 million to thin tree coverage on private land near the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon burn. Other forest land across the state also received treatment.
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Map from Legislative Finance Committee report shows work EMNRD has done across the state.
The department has also worked to boost staffing and visitation rates at state parks. During the first two quarters of 2024, the parks saw more than 2.8 million visits.
For the first time in several years, the department also boosted its pace of inspections of oil producers. The department issued 1,531 violation notices in the second quarter of FY2024 and is upgrading its vehicle fleet for inspections, the report notes.
Federal funding means the department has the ability to contract for abandoned oil well plugging. And long-term funding means the department can make significant progress in plugging the 2,000-or-so orphaned wells across the state, the report notes.
