A Texas oil company is under fire from officials in neighboring New Mexico over a spill at a wastewater disposal site near the border.
State officials last week sent a letter to Siana Operating indicating that its lease to use the disposal site expired and threatening to seek "any and all criminal and civil actions available" if the company failed to remediate the damage.
Another state agency, meanwhile, ordered the Midland-based company to shut down its New Mexican wells pending a review.
(New Mexico State Land Office via AP)The Midland-based company filed for a remediation permit and shut down at least 11 wells in the state in recent days, according to the Associated Press. Siana was set to examine the damage with regulators this week.
New Mexico's State Land Office indicated that a local rancher notified officials of the spill near Eunice. Photographs showed a large, uncontained pool of oil and water and additional pockets of liquid nearby.
The disposal site is one of about 60 administered by the land office. Siana reportedly continued to operate at the site despite a dispute over state fees dating to 2011.
