Court Allows New Mexico Oil Pollution Lawsuit to Move Ahead

A district court in New Mexico has allowed a lawsuit to proceed against the state’s governor, legislature, and agencies for failing to uphold their state constitutional duty to protect against pollution from oil and gas drilling. The lawsuit, Atencio v. State, was filed by indigenous and environmental groups in 2023, claiming that the state of New Mexico and other state defendants violated the plaintiffs’ rights under the New Mexico Constitution by continuing to authorize and promote oil and gas production without assuring protection…