New Mexico regulators fine oil producer $40 million for burning off vast amounts of natural gas - By Morgan Lee Associated Press
New Mexico oilfield and air quality regulators on Thursday announced unprecedented state fines against a Texas-based oil and natural gas producer on accusations that the company flouted local pollution reporting and control requirements by burning off vast amounts of natural gas in a prolific energy-production zone in the southeast of the state.
The New Mexico Environment Department announced a $40.3 million penalty against Austin, Texas-based Ameredev, alleging the burning caused excessive emissions in 2019 and 2020 at five facilities in New Mexico's Lea County near the town of Jal. Regulators raised concerns about the excess release of several pollutants linked to climate warming or known to cause serious health issues, including sulfur dioxide.
The agency alleged that Ameredev mined oil and natural gas without any means of transporting the gas away via pipeline, as required by state law. The company instead is accused of burning off the natural gas in excess of limits or without authorization in 2019 and 2020 — with excess emissions equivalent to pollution that would come from heating 16,640 homes for a year, the agency said in a statement.
The open-air burning, or "flaring," of natural gas is often used as a control measure to avoid direct emissions into the atmosphere, with permit requirements to estimate burning.
"They simply were not following what they had represented in their permits. ... They represented that they would capture 100% of their gas, send it to the sales pipeline," said Cindy Hollenberg, compliance and enforcement section chief at the air quality bureau of the New Mexico Environment Department.
Representatives for Ameredev and a parent company could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday by phone or email.
Separately, state oilfield regulators issued a violation notice and proposed a $2.4 million penalty against Ameredev for a series of regulatory infractions at one of the company's wells. It accused Ameredev of failing to file required production and natural gas waste reports.
"Such reports are critical for operators to demonstrate compliance with (New Mexico) waste rules, which themselves are a key component of New Mexico's climate change policy," the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department said in a statement. "Other required reports were submitted but were unacceptably late."
Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst said her agency was pursuing the maximum penalty available.
The sanctions can be disputed administratively, and eventually appealed in court.
The Environment Department has ordered the company to cease all excess emissions and seek permits that accurately reflect its operations, with verification from an independent auditor.
Hollenberg said that the sanctions stem from anonymous calls from concerned citizens about open-air flares from the burning of natural gas. She said that led to on-site inspections in late December 2019 at installations of tanks that receive crude oil from the wells.
"None of the facilities had permitted a flare and yet every facility was flaring," Hollenberg said in an interview. "Every site was different than what they had represented."
Advanced oil-drilling techniques have unlocked massive amounts of natural gas from New Mexico's portion of the Permian Basin, which extends into Texas. But existing pipelines don't always have enough capacity to gather and transport the gas.
State oil and gas regulators recently updated regulations to limit venting and flaring at petroleum production sites to reduce methane pollution, with some allowances for emergencies and mandatory reporting.
Recent changes by the state Environment Department focus on oilfield equipment that emits smog-causing pollution, specifically volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides.
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This story has been updated to correct the last name of a New Mexico Environment Department employee to Cindy Hollenberg.
Rare lizard found in major US oil patch proposed as endangered species - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
U.S. wildlife managers on Friday proposed federal protections for a rare lizard found only in parts of one of the world's most lucrative oil and natural gas basins.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said the dunes sagebrush lizard should be listed as an endangered species due to the ongoing threats of energy development, mining and climate change in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas. The agency will be collecting public comments on the proposed listing through Sept. 1.
Environmentalists have been pushing for protections for the reptile for decades, resulting in petitions and lawsuits. There have also been conservation agreements, but some groups have criticized them for not doing enough to protect the lizard's habitat.
The Center for Biological Diversity sued in 2022, accusing the agency of stalling on issuing a decision. The Fish and Wildlife Service, as part of a court-approved agreement, faced a June 29 deadline for making a determination on whether listing was warranted.
"The dunes sagebrush lizard is marvelously adapted for life in extreme environments but it needs our help to survive the oil and gas industry's destruction," Michael Robinson, with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement. "The Service needs to move quickly to implement these long-overdue protections."
Robinson said the 2.5-inch (6.4-centimeter) long lizard has the second smallest range of any lizard in North America.
Biologists aren't able to say how many lizards might exist because there are so few of them and they're hard to detect, making precise counts very difficult. However, they note there are fewer lizards detected in areas where there are more oil and gas wells or areas where habitat has been disturbed.
Light brown and spiny, the lizard lives in sand dunes and among shinnery oak, where it feeds on insects and spiders and burrows into the sand for protection from extreme temperatures.
Much of the lizard's remaining habitat has been fragmented, preventing the species from finding mates beyond those already living close by, according to biologists.
Oil and gas operators and ranchers in the Permian Basin have strongly opposed listing the reptile as an endangered species, saying doing so could disrupt businesses and add extra costs. They have argued that oil and gas companies already have spent millions of dollars on conservation efforts, including through voluntary agreements reached with wildlife managers.
Environmentalists first petitioned for the lizard's protection in 2002, resulting in a 2010 finding by federal officials that the species warranted protection. That prompted an outcry from some members of Congress and communities in both states that rely on oil and gas development for jobs and tax revenue.
Several GOP congressional members sent a letter to officials in the Obama administration asking to delay a final decision.
In 2012, federal officials decided not to bestow protections on the reptile. Then-U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said at the time that the much-anticipated decision over the lizard was based on the "best available science" and because of voluntary conservation agreements in place in New Mexico and Texas.
In New Mexico and Texas, federal officials said around 100 ranchers and 100 oil and gas companies have enrolled in voluntary conservation agreements. The enrollments cover nearly 85% of the lizard's range within New Mexico.
The Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday that the current determination that a listing was warranted came after "a rigorous review of the best available scientific and commercial information."
The agency also said it would be prudent to set aside habitat for the lizard but did not comment further.
Authorities find missing Albuquerque food trucks and a hot air balloon at chop shop - Associated Press
A search for a stolen Albuquerque food truck led to the discovery of a stolen vehicles cache in a neighboring county, including other food trucks and a trailer with a hot air balloon, according to authorities.
James Nance, a Socorro County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, said a 64-year-old man found living at a chop shop in a stolen camper trailer, was arrested after deputies found seven vehicles previously reported stolen. Chop shops are places where stolen vehicles are stripped down for their parts.
The search also turned up a trailer with a hot air balloon that was reported missing in May in Albuquerque.
Officials in Socorro County told news outlets Thursday that someone reported seeing the missing La Riva's New Mexican Food food truck in a rural area north of Albuquerque.
Some of the food trucks discovered belonged to people in Albuquerque, Belen and Rio Rancho and were stripped for parts.
Troy Bradley, a pilot with the Rainbow Ryders, told KOB-TV that the balloon had flown in last month's Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta before it was taken.
Officials said it is likely the man was not acting alone, but did not disclose any other details.
Former New Mexico priest charged with sexual coercion of minor in text messages - Associated Press
A former Catholic priest with a lengthy career at parishes across New Mexico has been arrested on criminal charges of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity through text messages, federal law enforcement authorities announced Thursday.
The U.S. Attorney's Office and FBI field office in Albuquerque said that Daniel Balizan of Springer, New Mexico, was arrested in connection with a grand jury indictment.
A redacted copy of the indictment accuses 61-year-old Balizan of knowingly attempting to coerce an unnamed minor into sexual activity in August and September 2012 in Santa Fe County.
The charges carry a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison upon conviction and up to a lifetime behind bars.
It was unclear whether Balizan had a legal representative. An initial court appearance was scheduled for Friday.
A timeline of Balizan's church assignments from investigators show that he served at Santa Maria de la Paz Parish, starting in June 2012. Previous assignments include parishes in Raton, Albuquerque, Clovis, Chama and Socorro.
In a statement, the Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe said it received abuse allegations against Balizan in 2022 and promptly reported the information to authorities, leading to Balizan's removal from service.
The diocese last year reached a $121.5 million agreement to settle nearly 400 claims made by people who say they were abused by Roman Catholic clergy.
In New Mexico, about 74 priests have been deemed "credibly accused" of sexually assaulting children while assigned to parishes and schools by the archdiocese, which covers central and northern New Mexico.
A California scholar's research into a flowering shrub took him to Mexico and a violent death - By Stefanie Dazio And Fabiola Sánchez Associated Press
For four years, Gabriel Trujillo trekked the breadth of the United States and south into Mexico in search of a flowering shrub called the common buttonbush.
The plant is native to the varied climates of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Trujillo, a 31-year-old Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley, wanted to know why it thrived in such a range of places, and whether the evolution of the species held possibilities for future habitat conservation and restoration efforts.
The research was tragically cut short last week in Mexico, where Trujillo's father said he was shot seven times. Authorities discovered his body on June 22 in the state of Sonora, in northwest Mexico, days after his fiancée reported him missing.
The killing has left the family reeling and searching for answers in a case that has yet again highlighted the rampant violence that plagues Mexico locations controlled by drug cartels.
'THE WRONG PLACE'
Trujillo drove across the Arizona border into Nogales on June 17. He spoke to his father the next day and he and his fiancée, Roxanne Cruz-de Hoyos, chatted in the morning the day after that. He told her he was going out to collect plants and would return to his Airbnb later.
Cruz-de Hoyos became concerned when Trujillo didn't respond to her phone calls and text messages — they normally talked several times a day — and his Airbnb hosts said his belongings were still there but he hadn't returned. She bought a plane ticket the next day and flew down to Mexico to search.
On June 22, authorities discovered his body about 62 miles (100 kilometers) from the Airbnb. He was still inside his SUV, Cruz-de Hoyos said.
She identified him for Mexican authorities as his father rushed to get a flight out of Michigan. Both have received little information about the tragedy and are begging for the U.S. and Mexican governments for answers.
"Evidently he was in the wrong place," Anthony Trujillo told The Associated Press on Thursday while he waited to board a flight back home, his son's remains beside him.
The Sonora state prosecutor's office said in a statement Thursday that it is analyzing evidence "to establish the facts, conditions and causes of the death." The statement did not give details about what occurred or call Trujillo's death a homicide.
His family begged him not to go to such a dangerous place: Sonora recorded 518 homicides through May, according to federal government data. But Trujillo believed the trip was crucial to his research.
Sharing a lengthy border with the U.S., Sonora is a key route for smuggling drugs, especially fentanyl, as well as migrants, cash and weapons between the U.S. and the Sinaloa state, and the infamous cartel of the same name, further south.
Sonora has long been critical territory for Mexico's drug cartels and in recent years those rivalries have increased the level of violence and sometimes left civilian victims.
Cartel gunmen killed three U.S. women and six of their children near the border of Sonora and Chihuahua states in 2019. The Americans lived in communities founded decades ago by an offshoot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
INDIGENOUS ROOTS
For Trujillo, a scholar with ties to Arizona, Michigan, Illinois, New Mexico, California and Indigenous lands in Mexico, the buttonbush's ability to survive and thrive almost anywhere must have felt familiar.
He spent years studying it and collecting specimens, often alongside Cruz-de Hoyos — a postdoctoral fellow researching widespread tree mortality — in a big red van they bought together.
"We were committed to dedicating our lives to environmental conservation and environmental research," Cruz-de Hoyos told the AP. "We felt that Indigenous hands have taken care of these lands for time immemorial."
Drawn to Sonora, Trujillo hoped to connect with his Opata Indigenous roots through the group's ancestral lands in the dry, mountainous region. He ultimately wanted to apply his research to building a garden in Mexico and using the buttonbush for wetland restoration. His planned trip included three potential sites to make a final choice.
With shared ancestry in the Nahua Indigenous group, which has ties to the Aztec civilization in central Mexico, the couple pledged to merge their identities and scientific studies as part of their future together.
Cruz-de Hoyos had been undergoing fertility treatments for the last two years and this summer's trip to Mexico was supposed to be Trujillo's last before the couple began trying to get pregnant.
They had bought a house together, commissioned custom engagement rings and envisioned a wedding led by an Indigenous elder by the end of the year. They planned to announce their happy news in August, when Trujillo returned from his trip.
Cruz-de Hoyos will instead honor Trujillo with a Danza Azteca ceremony, an Indigenous spiritual tradition, in the San Francisco Bay Area after his father hosts a Catholic funeral Mass in Michigan next month.
'A STAPLER'
Born March 4, 1992, in Arizona, Trujillo's family moved to Michigan during his childhood. Six kids in a blended family in a predominately white neighborhood: "We were like the Mexican Brady Bunch," his father said.
Trujillo attended a boarding school in New Mexico in high school and received his undergraduate degree from Lake Forest College in Illinois. A Ford Foundation fellow, he was on track to complete his Ph.D. at Berkeley in 2025.
"Gabe was a passionate ecologist, field biologist, and advocate for diverse voices in science," the university's Department of Integrative Biology wrote in an email to its campus community. "We all face a world that is less bright for this loss."
His mother, Gloria, died of cancer a decade ago. In addition to his father and Cruz-de Hoyos, Trujillo is survived by five siblings, six nieces and a nephew.
Put him in the same space as the youngsters, his father said, and he'd immediately lead them outside, tromping around for bugs and plants. He often took one niece to a pond in Michigan to search for frogs. She has named a stuffed frog in his honor.
"A 20-minute hike with me would take an hour because he would show me all the plants and mushrooms," Anthony Trujillo said. "He wanted to learn everything about everything."
Despite years of academic achievements, Anthony Trujillo kept thinking about his son's grade school project: "If you were an object, how would you describe yourself?"
Gabriel Trujillo, just 8 or 9 years old, wrote that he would be a stapler.
"We all kind of wondered, 'a stapler?' Now it kind of makes sense," his father said, choking up. "It holds things together."
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Sánchez reported from Mexico City.
New Mexico approves nearly $47 million in loans for recovery following historic wildfire - Associated Press
About half of the money set aside earlier this year by New Mexico lawmakers to help cities and counties recover from a historic wildfire has been allocated by the state.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's office announced Wednesday that nearly $47 million in no-interest loans have been approved for road repairs and culvert restoration in San Juan and Mora counties. Those counties were hit hard by the Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire in 2022.
The blaze — the largest in the state's recorded history — was sparked by prescribed burn operations conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. Now, residents in the burn scar are preparing for another season of post-fire flooding.
"As I continue to urge the federal government to expedite the resources they owe northern New Mexicans, we will push forward together to make sure New Mexicans are taken care of in the meantime," Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
The state funding was unanimously approved during this year's 60-day legislative session and took effect immediately after being signed by the governor on Feb. 20.
Mora and San Miguel counties are the only local governments to apply for the funding so far. State officials say they are working with others to identify projects and ensure applications and implementation complies with federal and state requirements so that the loans will eventually be covered by Federal Emergency Management Administration's public assistance program.
State lawmakers who represent residents within the burn scar said the recovery process will be long and difficult.
"It is critical that we maintain hope and a positive momentum in the wake of this disaster and the myriad aftereffects still emerging on a daily basis," said Sen. Pete Campos, a Las Vegas Democrat who sponsored the emergency fire loan bill.
The governor also issued 21 executive orders Tuesday for emergency funding totaling more than $15 million for wildfire recovery work and to reimburse other states that helped during the initial response.
New Mexico prosecutors: Man accused in deadly movie theater shooting is a danger to the community - Associated Press
A man accused in a deadly movie theater shooting in New Mexico's largest city is a danger to the community and should be held pending trial, prosecutors said in a motion filed Thursday.
They outlined their arguments for keeping Enrique Padilla jailed as the 19-year-old made his first court appearance on charges that include first-degree murder, shooting at an occupied building, conspiracy and tampering with evidence.
Authorities have said that an argument over seating at an Albuquerque movie theater on Sunday evening escalated into a shooting that left one man dead and sent frightened filmgoers scrambling.
"The defendant opened fire inside a crowded movie theater, putting the lives of everyone in the room in danger. He shot and killed the victim over seating arrangements," the motion stated. "It is clear that the defendant has no regard for the safety of others, and that he is willing to kill over the minor inconvenience of switching seats to watch a movie."
Court records show Padilla has yet to be appointed an attorney who could speak on his behalf, and a detention hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Padilla was treated for a gunshot wound after officers found him outside the theater the night of the shooting.
Witnesses told police that a man later identified as Padilla arrived at the theater with his girlfriend and found another couple in at least one of their reserved seats. Theater staff attempted to help resolve the dispute, but it escalated with a hurled bucket of popcorn, shoving and then gunfire, according to a criminal complaint.
Michael Tenorio, 52, was shot and died at the scene. His wife, Trina Tenorio, said he was unarmed.
Emergency dispatchers received about 20 calls as other people fled the theater.
An off-duty police officer who was at the movie administered emergency aid to Tenorio. The officer witnessed the confrontation but did not see a weapon in the darkened theater, reporting a rapid-fire succession of gunshots before one man in the dispute ran out.
New Mexico economic development secretary stepping down –Albuquerque Journal, KUNM
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday that Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes is leaving her job.
Keyes was appointed by Lujan Grisham in 2019 and is the first woman to lead the department. The governor said in a release Keyes is leaving to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
The Albuquerque Journal reports she has worked to boost the film industry in the state. She was previously the film liaison for the city of Albuquerque when Netflix purchased Albuquerque Studios in 2018 and is a former Walt Disney Co. executive.
As secretary Keyes oversaw expansion of the film incentive program and also helped create a 20-year economic plan designed to stop young New Mexicans from leaving the state. She also oversaw the creation of the Office of Outdoor Recreation.
Lujan Grisham credited her with helping diversify the state’s economy.
The Journal reports New Mexico reported 870,000 jobs last month – the highest levels in the state’s history, but our labor participation rate is one of the lowest at 57%.
Keyes’ last day is July 13. The governor’s office said it is actively seeking her successor.
Italian researchers reach the edge of space flying aboard Virgin Galactic's rocket-powered plane - Associated Press
A team of Italian researchers reached the edge of space Thursday morning, flying aboard a rocket-powered plane piloted by Virgin Galactic as the space tourism company prepares for monthly commercial flights.
The flight launched from Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, with two Italian Air Force officers and an engineer with the National Research Council of Italy focusing on a series of microgravity experiments during their few minutes of weightlessness.
One wore a special suit that measured biometric data and physiological responses while another conducted tests using sensors to track heart rate, brain function and other metrics while in microgravity. The third studied how certain liquids and solids mix in that very weak gravity.
Virgin Galactic livestreamed the flight on its website, showing the moment when the ship released from its carrier plane and the rocket was ignited. The entire trip — from lifting off at Spaceport America to gliding back down to the runway — took about 90 minutes. The space plane reached a peak altitude of more than 52 miles (85 kilometers).
In all, there were six aboard — two Virgin Galactic pilots, the three Italians and another Virgin Galactic employee who oversees training for passengers.
With the ship's pilot, it marked the most Italians in space at the same time. Col. Walter Villadei, a space engineer with the Italian Air Force, celebrated by unfolding an Italian flag while weightless.
For Villadei, it was even more historic as the Italian Air Force is marking its 100th year. He said he sees commercial flight as an opportunity for more researchers to access space and to foster the development of new technologies.
"It's a kind of changing of the mindset," he told The Associated Press in an interview. "We are sharing the risk, we are growing up together, we are learning (from) each other — the private (sector) from the institutions and the institutions from the private (sector). This is amazing to me."
Next up for Virgin Galactic will be the first of hundreds of ticket holders. Many have been waiting years for their chance at weightlessness and to see the curvature of the Earth. Those commercial flights are expected to begin in August and will be scheduled monthly, the company said.
Virgin Galactic has been working for years to send paying passengers on short space trips and in 2021 finally won the federal government's approval. The company completed its final test fight in May.
The Italian research flight was initially scheduled for the fall of 2021 but Virgin Galactic at the time said it was forced to push back its timeline due to a potential defect in a component used in its flight control system. Then the company spent months upgrading its rocket ship before resuming testing in early 2023.
After reaching a specific altitude, Virgin Galactic's space plane is released from a carrier aircraft and drops for a moment before igniting its rocket motor. The rocket shuts off once it reaches space, leaving passengers weightless before the ship then glides back to the runway at Spaceport America.
Virgin Galactic has sold about 800 tickets over the past decade, with the initial batch going for $200,000 each. Tickets now cost $450,000 per person.
The company said early fliers have already received their seat assignments.
Villadei said it was an honor to be among the first of Virgin Galactic's passengers, and while his focus was on running experiments, he did not miss the opportunity to look outside.
"The boundaries between the black of the sky and the colors of the Earth beneath us was amazing," he said, noting that his expectations were surpassed even though he has years of training under his belt.
Villadei and his colleagues collected blood and urine samples before and after the flight as part of their numerous experiments. He said it will take months to analyze the data and the results will help to formulate new experiments aimed at better understanding microgravity.
"The future is definitely something that is going to deal with space. Space is the new frontier," he said. "We are going to expand our knowledge and our capability to live and work and spend time in space."