LAS CRUCES, N.M., Feb. 9 (UPI) -- The remote Otero Mesa in New Mexico is the new battleground in the Bush administration's push to open more public land to oil and gas development.
A coalition of environmentalists, ranchers, sportsmen and even church groups wants to make a half million acres of the pristine grassland off-limits to drilling to preserve the wildlife, plants and precious ground water in the area.
Oil and gas companies contend the area in southeast New Mexico could contain a huge new reserve of natural gas, the kind of energy resource the nation needs to reduce its reliance on foreign sources.
Democratic Gov. Bill Richardson has even jumped into the fray, issuing an executive order requiring state agencies to review the plan and issue a report by March 8. The governor is concerned about the possible harm to the largely untouched ecosystem.
The Bureau of Land Management has proposed a plan for drilling with restrictions that would lessen the harm to the environment. The agency will collect comment on that proposal and the state's findings before making a final decision.
