The mission of Common Ground United is to provide a platform allowing diverse organizations, from local to national,  to express a united voice concerning the protection of our water, cultural, ecological, and economic resources and the health and safety of our citizens from the adverse impacts of all extractive resource developments.

Governing Principles 

         We are committed to the idea that local citizens must have a meaningful role in developing extractive resource development policies and the determining voice in their communities.

         We are committed to an honest, open, public, and transparent debate and decision-making process that holds public officials accountable for their actions.

         We are nonpartisan and inclusive our coalition members include local citizens, community groups, businesses, and religious leaders.

         We take a pragmatic, science-based approach to solving problems and are credible in all our research and communication.

         We value collaboration by sharing what we know and working with others who share our interest in protecting our water, cultural, ecological, and economic resources and the health and safety of our citizens from the adverse impact of oil and gas development.

Local Action 

Santa Fe, NM

1. Common Ground United urges Santa Fe County to conduct a comprehensive study to determine the threat oil and gas development poses to the water, cultural, ecological, and economic resources of the County and the health and safety of its citizens.

2. Common Ground United urges Santa Fe County to use that study as the basis to enact a comprehensive ordinance that:

-Designates specific areas off limits to extractive resource development due to the adverse impact such development would have on the water, cultural, ecological and economic resources of Santa Fe County and the health and safety of its citizens.

-Establishes a permitting process that contains specific standards requiring the proponent of resource extraction to prove that its activities will not harm the water, cultural, ecological, and economic resources of Santa Fe County and the health and safety of its citizens.

3. Common Ground United will create an Advisory Committee made up of experts and ordinary citizens to address the areas of hydrology, health, and economic impact to ensure that the citizens of Santa Fe County and their elected government representatives have accurate information on which to base their decisions regarding oil and gas development in the County.

State Action

New Mexico 

1. Common Ground United will respond actively to any efforts to limit the power of local governments to regulate land use in their jurisdictions, to limit self-determination by citizens, and to limit the authority of the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division.

2.  Common Ground United will rely on the legislative resources of Coalition members and other like-minded organizations to support this effort.

3.  Common Ground United will develop a network of volunteers to monitor activities in legislative committees.

4.  Common Ground United will seek an executive order to stop OCD hearings on three pending applications for oil exploration in Santa Fe County until a comprehensive study has been completed by Santa Fe County.

5.  Common Ground United will fight to prevent industry efforts to weaken any regulations that protect communities from resource extraction industries.

6.  Common Ground United will seek to extend the Governors moratorium on oil and gas exploration in order to give Santa Fe County sufficient time to complete its comprehensive study.

7.  Common Ground United will support the Chairman of the OCD  to reform the 1935 fiscal statutes that regulate oil and gas activity to modern levels that will encourage compliance state-wide. Statutes currently require that OCD prove, not only that a violation took place, but that it was done “knowingly and willfully”.  We will garner public support to remove these words as well. Decades of deal-making by the Oil/Gas industry has resulted in exemptions for this industry that no other industry has exemptive protections from 5 key Federal Environmental regulatory acts (Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, CERCLA/Superfund law, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act), in addition to the public right-to-know provisions under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act. These unfortunate events make this local fiscal state reform all the more imperative and urgent in nature.

Federal Action

The Bureau of Land Management, which controls mineral rights in the Galisteo Basin, is engaged in a two year public process to update its Resource Management Plan. There is a moratorium on leases until the plan is completed.    Common Ground United will work with its allies to educate New Mexicos congressional delegation about the threats posed by oil and gas development and other resource extraction to our water, ecological, cultural and economic resources.

Executive Committee

Gwen Lachelt, Oil & Gas Accountability Project (OGAP)

Johnny Micou, Drilling Santa Fe  and Executive Director of Common Ground United

Oscar Simpson, The New Mexico Wildlife Federation and National Wildlife Federation