New Mexico politicians decry Democrat presidential candidates' proposed oil and gas bans

Democrat front-runners for the party’s presidential nomination promised to ban oil and gas leasing on federal lands if elected.

Both Elizabeth Warren, a U.S. senator from Massachusetts, and Bernie Sanders, a U.S. senator from Vermont, made similar campaign promises to cease oil and gas production on federal lands in hopes of transitioning the country to renewable forms of energy such as wind or solar power.

Sanders sought to ban offshore drilling, and all future leases on federally-owned lands.

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“We should ban offshore drilling and ban all future leases and current leasing of federally owned lands for extracting coal, natural gas, oil, and tar sands and end U.S. exports of fossil fuels,” read a statement on his campaign website.

And Warren vowed to stop all drilling and impose a “total moratorium” on all new leases on federal land. She also promised stricter federal regulations related to methane emissions and water pollution.

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“It is wrong to prioritize corporate profits over the health and safety of our local communities,” read a statement on Warren’s campaign website.

“That’s why on my first day as president, I will sign an executive order that says no more drilling — a total moratorium on all new fossil fuel leases, including for drilling offshore and on public lands.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden, long-believed to be the top candidate for the Democrat nomination in 2020, promised to remove federal subsidies for oil and gas.

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“There is simply no excuse for subsidizing fossil fuel, either in the United States or around the world,” read a statement on Biden’s campaign website.

“In fact, a 2015 International Monetary Fund study showed that efficient fossil fuel pricing would have reduced global carbon emissions by nearly 30%.”

Shut down drilling; shut down schools

In New Mexico, oil and gas is the largest contributor to the state’s economy whether on federal land managed by the Bureau of Land Management or State Trust land.

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The industry was credited for a $2 billion surplus in the State’s general fund last year, with much of that revenue earmarked for educational initiatives such as teacher raises.

U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small said she opposed a full ban on oil and gas activities, instead advocating for energy production to be done responsibly while minimizing environmental harm.

“I don’t support that policy. It’s important for me to be an advocate for the work that is happening in southeastern New Mexico in producing energy and making sure that New Mexico continues to be a net energy exporter and making sure that we’re doing it in a responsible way,” she said.

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“I know that if we were to shut down oil and gas drilling in New Mexico today, we’d have to shut down our schools tomorrow, statewide.”

Torres Small said southeast New Mexico would play a crucial role in achieving and maintain America’s energy independence, thus increasing national security as the U.S. would not rely on adversarial countries, such as Russia or Saudi Arabia, for energy?

“I know the effects it would have on our bottom line. But I also know the impact it would have on our country and our national security when it comes to having a strong, ready domestic source of energy,” Torres Small said of the proposed bans.

“I know southeast New Mexico is going to play a vital role in our future when it comes to our energy resiliency. That’s why I will continue to advocate for the region.”

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Oil and gas companies already signaled they are willing to address the industry’s environmental impact,” she said, with companies developing new technologies to increase water recycling and reuse, along with methane capture and cutting carbon emissions.

These market-driven solutions, she said, would be instrumental in curbing the effects of climate change.

“We’re seeing some of it from oil and gas producers who are on the cutting edge and taking the initiative to innovate ways to capture methane, to reduce flaring and venting,” Torres Small said.

“They’re setting really strong examples. We also have to work when we are addressing drought and water scarcity. We’ve seen lots of work to recycle produced water. These are exciting innovations that we should be encouraging.”

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham was a strong proponent during her campaign and while in office of using oil and gas revenue for education. 

Nora Sackett, a spokesperson for the Governor, said Lujan Grisham planned to call on a potentially Democrat White House to adopt a more "flexible" approach to fossil fuel development allowing states to decide for themselves if drilling would be permitted, and how they would transition to renewable energy. 

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Lujan Grisham signed numerous bills into law this year, calling on the State to remain in the 2015 Paris Climate Accord, transitioning to 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2045 and increasing the state's renewable energy portfolio.  

Sackett refuted a report from Reuters that alleged the Lujan Grisham said she would request a waiver to exempt New Mexico from any such ban, calling the reporting "exaggerated" and "a stretch."

"The governor would expect a Democratic White House to work with the different states and give them the ability to figure out how to best deliver on our collective transition to renewable energy sources and support our investments and different needs, as any competent and professional federal administration would.

"The governor remains focused not on the politics of 2020 but on best serving the needs of all New Mexicans across different industries, expanding our economy and rebuilding our educational system."

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Renewable transition via policy, not 'outright bans'

“Responsible production,” Torres Small said, means increased funding for land management agencies such as the BLM, and increasing the efficiency of permitting and building infrastructure such as pipelines and storage tanks.

“The other component of responsible production is making sure that we have the resources to support that work,” she said. “When it comes to having good staffing at BLM offices, making sure there is timely review for rights of way requests, for example, so we can get the infrastructure we need to capture the valuable resource of methane.”

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) said the federal government must set policy to reduce emissions not only from oil and gas production, but also automobiles to reduce pollution.

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He said the U.S. should move away from fossil fuels, but not with “outright bans.”

“As an engineer, I am certain that our capacity to confront the climate crisis rests heavily on our ability to make policy driven by facts, by data, and by the best available science. There’s no question we should be moving away from fuels that contribute to climate change,” Heinrich said.

“However, outright bans risk unintended consequences like shifting production to places like Venezuela and Russia. A better way to reduce our carbon emissions is to set clean vehicle standards that transition the passenger vehicle market to electrification, and we need to put a price on carbon.”

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That transition to renewables was crucial, said U.S. Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) to protect the environment in New Mexico, and could be achieved with stricter guidelines on hydraulic fracturing – or fracking – and greenhouse gas emissions.

“The smart path for New Mexico is to support strong safety and environmental standards on oil and gas production to protect our air and precious water resources today, while recognizing that fossil fuels are finite resources that we cannot rely on forever, and that have real consequences for climate change,” he said.

“We need to keep working on the transition to new, more sustainable industries—including energy efficiency and renewable energy—to provide jobs and revenue for future generations.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.