Who could argue with anyone wanting to find environmentally sustainable solutions to treating and reusing the produced water associated with oil and gas development? It is a PR-must for the industry powerhouses who have trillion-dollar stakes in the Permian Basin and need to be seen as responsible corporate citizens.

It is also PR straw-to-gold for certain politicians whose playbook depends on vilifying oil and gas while simultaneously playing a cash-and-spend game with the billion-dollar royalty checks.

Fortunately, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has embraced a more independent and transparent position, as reflected in her recent remarks at the Carlsbad Mayor’s Energy Summit. Among other things, she is supporting a new produced water energy consortium – and is committed to developing a scientifically grounded regulatory environment that reflects viable water reuse policies for industry.

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