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New Mexicans believe in a simple idea: If you make a mess, you clean it up.

That principle is not political. It is common sense. It is what we teach our kids. And it is exactly the principle now before the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission as it considers updated oil and gas bonding and cleanup rules.

After months of hearings, expert testimony and careful analysis, the commission is approaching a decision that will help determine whether oil and gas companies are truly responsible for the full cost of cleaning up the wells they drill. Getting this right matters, because the public should not be left holding the bill when companies walk away.

We have seen what happens when safeguards fall short.

In a case my office filed last year, we alleged that a group of oil executives used shell companies and bankruptcy proceedings to shift the cost of cleaning up hundreds of wells onto the public while keeping the profits. That case is still ongoing, but the lesson is clear: When financial safeguards are too weak, they can be exploited.

Across New Mexico, there are already hundreds of abandoned wells, with thousands more at risk. Some leak methane or contaminate groundwater, threatening public health and the land our communities depend on. When companies fail to clean them up, the cost does not disappear. It falls on the public.

That is not fair to New Mexico families.

The rules under consideration would move New Mexico closer to a simple standard: Companies should set aside funds that reflect the real cost of cleanup so they can plan ahead and follow through on their responsibilities.

In other words, if you drill it, you clean it.

But good policy does not just get the goal right. It gets the transition right.

New Mexico is one of the nation鈥檚 leading energy producers, and thousands of our neighbors work in this industry, running equipment, maintaining infrastructure and doing the kind of physical work that does not happen from an office. As we strengthen accountability, we also have a responsibility to make sure those workers are not caught in the middle, and that means adopting rules that focus first on the highest-risk wells while giving responsible operators time to adjust, recognizing the difference between companies that have played by the rules and those that have not, and ensuring that as wells are plugged and remediated, New Mexico workers are first in line for those jobs.

Done right, stronger cleanup standards do not have to cost jobs. They can help create them.

Plugging and remediation work is labor-intensive and can provide stable employment, especially in communities already tied to the energy economy. By pairing stronger rules with a clear workforce strategy, we can protect both our environment and our workers.

We should also be clear-eyed about what these rules are and what they are not.

They are not about shutting down responsible operators. In fact, most companies already meet their obligations and plan for cleanup. Stronger rules ensure that everyone operates under the same standards, rather than allowing bad actors to cut corners and shift costs onto others.

They are also not about punishing an industry that has helped power New Mexico鈥檚 economy. They are about making sure that success comes with responsibility.

The foundation for these proposed rules is strong. They are built on evidence, shaped by public input, and grounded in a simple principle of fairness. As the commission deliberates in the coming weeks, it should refine them to ensure they target the highest risks, support responsible operators and protect the workers who keep this industry running.

If you profit from our shared resources, you should take responsibility for cleaning them up. If you are a worker who has helped build this industry, you should not be left behind as we raise the bar.

That is what fairness looks like, and it is a standard worth standing behind.

Ra煤l Torrez is the New Mexico attorney general.