Albuquerque, NM (KKOB) — Melissa Troutman, a climate and health advocate with WildEarth Guardians, spoke before legislators on the interim Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee in Los Alamos on Thursday. She said that the oil and gas industry reported spills that impacted 15 waterways across the state in 2025. The vast majority of them – 12 – were in San Juan County, which includes Farmington, the Four Corners region and Chaco Culture National Historical Park. Adding, that most of these are places where many rural residents already struggle with access to fresh drinking water. Troutman told lawmakers that produced water – a term that refers to wastewater left over from fracking operations – is the most common liquid spilled by oil and gas operators and that public lands, in particular, are the most affected.
