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Resident urges county action after study finds school-area benzene spikes near oil and gas sites
Summary
A resident told commissioners that a 2024 study found elevated benzene and other pollutants at a local school and urged immediate action to protect children; commissioners did not take formal action during the meeting.
A Sandoval County resident told commissioners she is alarmed by air pollution near schools and called for immediate remedies to protect children’s health.
Mary Burgess, who identified herself as a county resident, cited a 2024 study at Librook School that she said found elevated levels of pollutants, including benzene, ‘‘a cancer causing byproduct of natural gas production,’’ and said children at nearby schools are experiencing symptoms such as sinus problems, nosebleeds, nausea and shortness of breath. Burgess said roughly 29,500 students and 74 schools and preschools in New Mexico face daily exposure within one mile of oil and gas wells; she urged the county to seek remedies for affected children.
Burgess framed her concern around statewide statistics and a call for immediate action, but no county staff or commissioner presented technical data or a staff report in response during the meeting. The county did not announce any follow-up steps or formal review at this session.
The remarks were made during the public comment period; they were recorded in the meeting transcript but did not result in discussion by commissioners on the record.
