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An independent safety review and water study commissioned by Kit Carson Electric Cooperative this year support the utility鈥檚 plans to construct New Mexico鈥檚 first green hydrogen facility in Questa.

Critics, however, continue to argue the facility could draw down local water supplies amid ongoing drought and say they haven鈥檛 been granted ample opportunity to voice their concerns to town officials.

Questa Mayor John Ortega has also faced persistent accusations that his role as safety director with the co-op presents a conflict of interest, a claim both Ortega and the utility鈥檚 leadership have consistently denied.

鈥淚鈥檝e been very open that John works for the co-op,鈥� said Kit Carson CEO Luis Reyes, 鈥渂ut I do not put him in a position to make any decisions. He needs to make decisions based on what he feels is in the best interest of the village.鈥�

Ortega said he was promoted from coordinator to director two years ago, during his second year as mayor, and reports directly to Reyes and co-op chief operating officer Richard Martinez. Ortega鈥檚 uncle, Bobby Ortega, is the utility鈥檚 board president.

Despite those ties, the mayor says he鈥檚 been able to keep his professional role separate from his political one.

鈥淚鈥檓 not involved in any of the project planning,鈥� Ortega told the Journal in a phone interview Thursday. 鈥淚鈥檓 not involved in any contract negotiation. I鈥檓 the safety director there, so my whole job is doing nothing but safety for our line crews and offices 鈥� that kind of stuff. As far as the village mayor, I鈥檓 acting on the best interest of the people of Questa.鈥�

In a Facebook post on Friday, Ortega described himself as a 鈥渟afety coordinator鈥� for the co-op. He reiterated that he has never voted 鈥渙r taken official action鈥� regarding the green hydrogen project in his capacity as mayor and would recuse himself in the event of a tie vote on the Village Council related to any project decisions.

鈥淎s Mayor, I work solely for the people of Questa and make decisions based on what is in the best interests of our community,鈥� he said.

Ortega did, however, join Reyes in a successful bid to seek $25 million in capital outlay from the state Legislature to purchase the solar array that would power the facility.

鈥淚鈥檝e never seen that as a conflict,鈥� Reyes said. 鈥淗e had nothing to do with the application. We jointly and publicly went and looked for the money, and the money gets put in the budget, which is a public document. My understanding of the issue of a conflict is that there has to be some kind of personal financial benefit that you get from the project 鈥� somehow you鈥檙e benefiting personally.鈥�

Ortega claims he feels no pressure from his employer to look favorably upon the project, which proposes constructing a facility that would use a process called electrolysis to split water molecules into pure hydrogen. The hydrogen would then be stored in fuel cells powered by the 50-megawatt solar array, which broke ground near the village this year and is set for completion this summer.

The facility would be the first of its kind in New Mexico, providing an energy resource that generates virtually zero greenhouse gas emissions. If approved, the plant could provide up to 41 hours of energy storage the co-op could tap as a fail-safe in the event of a wildfire or other natural disaster.

Kit Carson Electric has argued the project would be a job creator, drive millions in economic growth and put Questa on the map as a green energy hub.

Since the project鈥檚 inception, however, the co-op has faced ongoing skepticism from local residents, especially from environmental advocates who say they haven鈥檛 had ample opportunity to discuss the proposals with the town.

The cooperative has held informal public meetings in Questa to field feedback from residents, but critics like local teacher and El Rito resident Jessica Joseph say the village has avoided putting the matter on public meeting agendas.

鈥淲e speak at public comment, and there鈥檚 no communication back,鈥� Joseph said. 鈥淲e just say what we say, and they go, 鈥榃ell, that鈥檚 not on the agenda, so we can鈥檛 answer you or say anything back.鈥� So they keep it off the agenda so we can鈥檛 have a discussion or have questions answered by the council.鈥�

Joseph believes ongoing pressure by the grassroots activist group, Questa Watershed Protectors, played a role in the co-op鈥檚 pursuit of the safety and water studies published last week.

At a June 12 news conference, Sandia National Laboratories lauded the co-op鈥檚 request for an early safety review, finding that the proposed design of the facility and operational safeguards Kit Carson has planned for it are up to industry standards.

Chris LaFleur, lab research and development manager, told news media that while hydrogen production and storage presents certain risks, green hydrogen 鈥渋ncidents and accidents have been few and far between.鈥�

The co-op has been clear that the review 鈥渄oes not replace environmental reviews, permitting requirements, engineering design, or regulatory oversight.鈥�

Kit Carson Electric plans to purchase the water needed to operate the hydrogen plant from Chevron, which oversees the Superfund site at the shuttered molybdenum mine east of town.

While the corporation initially proposed the co-op purchase reclamation water from the shuttered mine, protest intensified earlier this year after residents learned the proposed source had shifted to a nearby deep water well.

The first phase of a study by Santa Fe-based Glorieta Geoscience found that the facility鈥檚 proposed annual draw of roughly 15 million gallons of water from the well is unlikely to impact local water resources, like wells and acequias.

Glorieta found that 鈥渢he project well operates in different hydrologic units than the acequias and most nearby wells,鈥� projecting that the risk of water draining from shallower wells nearby into the large well would be limited due to clay layers and other geologic formations.

The next phase of the study will use groundwater modeling to 鈥渆valuate water levels, pumping scenarios, drought conditions, and long-term groundwater behavior,鈥� according to a news release issued by the co-op.

"People deserve answers when it comes to water," Reyes said in a news release discussing Glorieta鈥檚 initial findings. "That's why we initiated this study.鈥�

Despite the findings, Questa Watershed Protectors say the facility鈥檚 long-term ecological impacts remain unclear, and that the accompanying array could disrupt wildlife migrations in the area.

And even though research has demonstrated green hydrogen to be safer than conventional fuels, some residents can鈥檛 shake hydrogen鈥檚 association with high-energy explosives.

鈥淚 think, being up in the mountains, there should be enough water for a while, but I鈥檓 not sure how, in the long-term, the hydrogen plant would impact things,鈥� said Frank Rael, a 17-year employee of the defunct mine who now runs Frank鈥檚 Eats and Sweets on the town鈥檚 main drag. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure the economy would do good with it, but how would it affect the town if there was a disaster or something?鈥�

The construction phase for the proposed plant could employ an estimated 300 contract workers, and Reyes has said the co-op would prioritize hires from the village.

Long term, however, the facility would support significantly fewer positions, around 18 to 20, he said.

While some project opponents say that鈥檚 a relatively minor economic boon for the village, Ortega said he supports the project because he believes it to be in the community鈥檚 best interest.

He says Questa needs to get creative to replace the hundreds of jobs that were lost when the mine closed permanently 12 years ago.

鈥淲e haven鈥檛 recovered economically, and we need to do something,鈥� the mayor said. 鈥淲e need to find jobs.鈥�

Ortega concluded his post on Friday by saying he would seek to halt any project that could be detrimental to the community. 

鈥淚f I believed any project was harmful to our community or not in the public interest, I would advocate for it to be stopped, regardless of my employment,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭he people of Questa can expect that my decisions as Mayor will continue to be guided by transparency, accountability, and what I believe is best for our community.鈥�

John Miller is the sa国际传媒官网网页入口鈥檚 northern New Mexico correspondent. He can be reached at jmiller@abqjournal.com.