Chris
Velasquez
Rancher - Blanco, New Mexico
My
family has been ranching in northwest New Mexico since 1922. We
run cows on our ranch and on surrounding public lands managed
by the BLM's Farmington Field Office. We have problems all the
time with oil company workers leaving gates open, driving across
our pastures, and generally causing erosion and other problems.
 I
have complained repeatedly to BLM about a shallow pit filled with
"black gunk" near a gas well operated by Williams. The
pit was on my grazing lease and I found cattle tracks to the pit
and feared animals might be drinking the oily water. I've found
dead cows near oil pits before, and seen lots of dead birds and
other wildlife floating in the oil pits so I was worried this
cow would drink out of the pit and die too. I lose eight to ten
cows each year because of the oil field activity.
Each
oil company always claims the problems are caused by some other
company. There are so many companies running around doing different
stuff out there that they all point their fingers at each other.
I just want them to take responsibility for their actions, clean
up after themselves, and be good stewards that respect people
like my family who has been making a living off this land for
80 years.
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