Why is Chevron hosting a symposium on the role of acequias in water policy? Does this mean Chevron is looking to raid the water rights of our acequias for their own purposes? Is Chevron eyeing our acequias as the next target for big oil and gas to supply their fresh water needs? Given that Chevron has actively fought against laws protecting existing and senior water rights, it is doubtful that Chevron is looking to protect and keep our acequias vibrant and healthy.
In an opinion piece in the Santa Fe New Mexican, Rudy Montoya, the communications coordinator for the New Mexico Acequia Association, objects to this overreach of the Oil and Gas industry. He explores why Chevron and their attorneys are out of line and out of step with the collective values of acequia communities. In his opinion piece, Mr. Montoya points out how “industry and Chevron lobbyists have vigorously opposed acequia policy priorities intended to protect due process and public notice in water right applications.“
Chevron's "Agua es Critica" symposium series is part of their thinly veiled attempt to sell the idea that reuse of their fracking waste to supplement our water resources will be critical as our water supply is impacted by climate change - a laughable talking point given that the volume of treated water that could possibly be obtained from fracking waste reuse is a drop in the bucket compared to the 25% shortfall that their own industry is causing.
Our acequia communities have a long track record of "advocat[ing] to protect water for agriculture as well as for our rivers, watersheds and aquifers." The needs of agriculture, rivers, watersheds and aquifers are not the oil and gas industry's priority. A recent Washington Post article on water stress notes, "Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, California and Idaho are using more water than they receive each year, depleting groundwater reserves to support farming and industrial use." As the climate becomes hotter and drier, protecting our acequias is more important than ever.
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