Increased New Mexico oil spill list identifies OKC firm – Oklahoma Energy Today

Report on Escalating Oil and Gas Spills in New Mexico and Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary of Q3 2025 Findings

A Q3 2025 report from the environmental group WildEarth Guardians documents a significant escalation in pollution from oil and gas operations in New Mexico, directly impeding progress toward several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The findings indicate a 400% increase in fluid spills compared to previous quarters.

• Total Incidents: 350 fluid spills were recorded between July 1 and September 30.
• Volume of Pollution: Over 2 million gallons of toxic waste were released into the environment, primarily in the Permian Basin.
• Location: Over 60% of all spills occurred on federal public lands.
• Source: Four of the five largest spills originated from produced water “recycling” facilities, highlighting the risks associated with reusing toxic fracking waste.

Impact on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The documented spills represent a direct threat to the achievement of key SDGs, particularly those related to environmental protection and human well-being.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: The release of millions of gallons of produced water and crude oil poses a severe risk to surface and groundwater sources. The largest single spill, involving 1.6 million gallons of produced water and 126,000 gallons of crude oil, exemplifies the threat to water security. A pending regulatory proposal to allow the discharge of treated produced water into the environment would further undermine efforts to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: The contamination transforms vast areas, particularly public lands in Eddy and Lea Counties, into toxic zones. This degradation of terrestrial ecosystems directly contravenes the goal of halting land degradation and biodiversity loss.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being & SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The release of toxic materials endangers the health and safety of local communities. The continued use of “trade-secret” loopholes to conceal the chemical identities of spilled substances complicates cleanup efforts and prevents effective medical responses, creating significant public health risks.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production: The report identifies a pattern of unsustainable production and waste mismanagement. The repeated offenses by major corporations without significant penalties indicate a failure to achieve environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes throughout their life cycle.

Corporate Accountability and Institutional Failures

The report identifies several corporations as repeat offenders and points to a lack of effective regulatory oversight, which is critical for achieving SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).

Top Offenders Identified:

• Devon Energy
• ExxonMobil (XTO)
• OXY USA

Despite a total of 7.6 million gallons of contaminants spilled across the first three quarters of 2025, no major fines or penalties have been issued by regulatory bodies such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This lack of enforcement fails to hold polluters accountable and undermines the effectiveness of environmental governance.

Policy Recommendations for Aligning with SDG Targets

WildEarth Guardians has proposed several policy actions to mitigate the environmental crisis and align state and federal practices with sustainability targets.

1. Stop Toxic Waste Disasters (Supports SDG 12 & 16): Require regulatory agencies to issue meaningful fines, deny new permits to repeat offenders, and publicly report all enforcement actions to ensure corporate accountability.
2. Reject Produced-Water Discharge (Supports SDG 6 & 14): Uphold the existing prohibition on discharging treated oil and gas waste into the environment to protect water ecosystems.
3. Mandate Full Chemical Disclosure (Supports SDG 3): End trade-secret loopholes to require the public disclosure of all drilling and fracking chemicals, enabling better protection of public health.
4. Apply Hazardous Waste Laws (Supports SDG 12): Remove oil and gas industry exemptions from federal hazardous waste laws (e.g., RCRA, CERCLA) to ensure that produced water is managed with the appropriate level of caution.

Analysis of the Article in Relation to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
   • The article discusses the spillage of “toxic waste” and “toxic fracking waste,” which poses direct risks to “public health.” The call to end “trade-secret loopholes” that hide chemical identities is linked to protecting “worker protection, and medical response,” which are essential components of public health.
2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
   • This goal is central to the article, which focuses on the contamination of the environment by millions of gallons of “produced water” and “crude oil.” The debate over the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) considering a rule to “allow the discharge of treated produced water into the environment” directly addresses the protection and quality of water resources.
3. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
   • The article highlights the mismanagement of industrial byproducts, specifically “oil and gas wastes.” The failure of so-called “recycling” facilities and the massive volume of spills point to unsustainable production practices. The recommendation to “Apply Hazardous Waste Laws” to oil and gas waste is a call for more responsible management of chemicals and waste.
4. SDG 15: Life on Land
   • The pollution described in the article directly impacts terrestrial ecosystems. It explicitly states that spills occurred “largely in the Permian Basin of southwest New Mexico” and that “Over 60% of all spills occurred on federal lands,” turning these “public lands into toxic waste zones.” This represents a significant degradation of land and natural habitats.
5. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
   • A major theme of the article is the failure of regulatory bodies. It claims the “Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and EPA continue to fail in enforcement” and that “no major fines or penalties have been issued to repeat violators.” The call for regulators to “issue meaningful fines” and “deny new permits to repeat offenders” is a demand for more effective, accountable, and transparent institutions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination.
   • The article’s focus on “toxic waste,” “contaminant ponds,” and the danger to “public health” directly relates to this target. The spillage of over 7.6 million gallons of contaminants creates a significant risk of illness from soil and water pollution.
2. Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.
   • The report of “350 fluid spills” and “more than 2 million gallons of toxic waste ‘lost’ to the environment” in a single quarter is a clear example of the pollution this target aims to reduce. The debate over allowing the discharge of produced water into rivers is directly about preventing the release of hazardous materials into water bodies.
3. Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil to minimize their adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
   • The article details the failure to safely manage oil and gas waste, noting that “produced water ‘recycling’ sites are becoming major polluters.” The call to remove oil and gas exemptions under hazardous waste laws (RCRA, CERCLA) is a direct attempt to achieve the environmentally sound management described in this target.
4. Target 15.1: By 2020, ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services.
   • The contamination of “public lands” and the “Permian Basin” by millions of gallons of oil and toxic water constitutes a failure to conserve and sustainably use terrestrial ecosystems. The article shows how industrial activities are degrading these environments.
5. Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
   • The article’s critique of the BLM and EPA for their “lax enforcement” and the fact that “no major fines or penalties have been issued” points to a lack of institutional effectiveness and accountability. The demand for public reporting of enforcement actions and meaningful fines aims to strengthen these institutions.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. Volume and frequency of pollution incidents:
   • The article provides specific data points that can be used as indicators, such as the “350 fluid spills” in Q3, the “400 percent” increase in spills, and the total volume of “7.6 million gallons of oil and gas wastes and other contaminants” spilled in 2025. These metrics directly measure the release of pollutants into the environment (relevant to Targets 6.3 and 12.4).
2. Number of enforcement actions taken by regulatory bodies:
   • The article implies this indicator by stating, “Yet no major fines or penalties have been issued to repeat violators.” An effective indicator of progress for Target 16.6 would be tracking the number and value of fines issued and the number of permits denied to repeat offenders.
3. Geographic area of land contaminated:
   • The article specifies that “Eddy and Lea Counties (Permian Basin) accounted for 89% of all reported incidents” and “Over 60% of all spills occurred on federal lands.” This data can be used to track the extent of land degradation in specific ecosystems, which is a key indicator for Target 15.1.
4. Level of chemical disclosure:
   • The article mentions that “Trade-secret loopholes continue to hide chemical identities.” An indicator for progress towards Target 12.4 (environmentally sound management of chemicals) and Target 3.9 (reducing illness from hazardous chemicals) would be the percentage of chemicals used in fracking that are publicly disclosed.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: okenergytoday.com