New Mexico

Almost $3 billion goes to New Mexico from oil and gas on public land

Published

2 years ago

November 17, 2023

Almost billion goes to New Mexico from oil and gas on public land

More federal revenue generated by energy production came to New Mexico than any other state last year as drilling continued to surge in the state’s southeast corner.

New Mexico is the second-highest producer of oil in the U.S. after Texas, with which it shares the Permian Basin.

Recent data from the Department of the Interior (DOI) showed New Mexico earned $2.93 billion in federal revenue from energy production, largely oil and gas.

More: Scorpion Oil and Gas enters Permian Basin through purchase of Lea County lands

The next highest was Wyoming at $832 million, followed by Louisiana at $177 million and Colorado at $153 million.

North Dakota, third in the nation for oil production after Texas and New Mexico, was at $132.66 million in federal energy revenue, the report read, and Texas was sixth in the U.S. at $108.27 million.

“The disbursements provide funds for states and Tribes to pursue a variety of conservation and natural resource goals, including irrigation and hydropower projects, historic preservation initiatives, conservation of public lands and waters, and investments in maintenance for critical facilities and infrastructure on our public lands,” read a DOI statement.

More: Here’s what to know about New Mexico’s latest efforts to reuse oil and gas wastewater

Overall, Interior’s Office of Natural Resources said it disbursed about $4.7 billion in revenue in FY 2023 from energy production to states where energy is produced.

About $600 million of those dollars came from renewable energy, the DOI reported.

More oil means more money to New Mexico, for now

In New Mexico, about half of oil and gas production occurs on federal land, mostly in the Permian Basin.

More: Oil & gas industry joins fight against nuclear waste site proposed in southeast New Mexico

The Permian was expected to generate about 5.98 million barrels per day (bpd) in December, according to the latest forecast from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), a growth of about 5 million bpd from last month.

Natural gas production was also expected to grow in the region by about 113 million cubic feet per day (cf/d), to a total of about 24.8 billion cf/d in December, the EIA reported.

The basin, including Texas and New Mexico, contributed the most to growth in American oil production than any other states, read an EIA report.

More: Heinrich, Lujan join call for tighter oil and gas rules on New Mexico public land

New Mexico grew the most in 2022 for the third year in a row, the report read, by 300,000 bpd to a total of 1.6 million bpd.

“The Permian Basin, a productive oil basin located on the border of West Texas and eastern New Mexico, leads in oil production for these two states,” read the report. “We forecast U.S. crude oil production will continue to increase in 2023 and 2024.”

Ahead of the 2024 Legislative session, New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee reported the state would have $3.6 billion in “new money” in FY 2024, and that revenues would surpass records set in FY 2023.

More: Permian Basin energy companies focusing on carbon capture during region’s growth

Is New Mexico too reliant on fossil fuels?

The LFC warned New Mexico’s continued reliance on oil and gas revenue could subject the state to dramatic up and down swings in its finances tied to shifts in national and global energy markets.

The report estimated oil production in New Mexico would peak at about 2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2028 and decline steadily to about 500,000 bpd by 2050.

“New Mexico’s dependence on the energy sector makes oil market volatility the largest, most significant risk to the forecast—on the upside and the downside,” read the report.

More: Chevron spends $53B to buy out Hess as oil and gas mergers boom across U.S.

“A significant downside remains, with a global recession likely to push oil prices lower and higher input prices increasing the risk for oil prices to fall below breakeven prices, necessitating production declines.”

But for now, fossil fuels appeared poised to continue to rise as global energy companies continued to invest in projects aimed at increasing production of oil and gas, despite ongoing concerns that pollution was driving climate change.

The International Energy Agency’s annual World Energy Outlook called for a shift toward renewables to avoid global warming of more than 1.5 degrees Celsius, an international benchmark believed tied to extreme weather events.

More: Oil and gas companies seek solutions to wastewater, drought in New Mexico, Permian Basin

Environmentalists argued deals like ExxonMobil’s $60 billion buyout of Permian-focuses shale drilling Pioneer Natural Resources, and Chevron’s $53 billion merger with Hess conflicted with the scientific community’s conclusion that fossil fuels should be phased out by 2030.

These deals came as the DOI’s Bureau of Land Management planned to lease more federal public land in New Mexico to oil and gas companies.

The BLM planned to hold an auction for up-to-10-year leases of the lands in the second quarter of 2024, totaling in 6,282 acres of public land in southeast New Mexico and Kansas,

More: Industry leaders call for economic diversity as New Mexico gets more reliant on oil money

Patrick Grenter with the Sierra Club said President Joe Biden and the federal administration should reject any such new fossil fuel projects in the U.S. to avoid further pollution impacts.

“The IEA report makes strikingly clear what many of us in the environmental movement already know too well – we are running out of time to wind down the use of fossil fuels,” said Grenter said.

“The transition to renewable, clean energy will not happen on its own and that is why we need President Biden and his administration to lead the way and reject any new or expanded oil and gas project. Fossil fuel extraction and export is not in the public interest, plain and simple.”

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

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New Mexico

Judge finds police acted reasonably in shooting New Mexico man while at wrong address

Published

15 hours ago

May 21, 2025

Press Room

Judge finds police acted reasonably in shooting New Mexico man while at wrong address

SANTA FE, N.M. — A federal judge has dismissed part of a lawsuit that accused police of violating constitutional protections when they fatally shot a man after showing up at the wrong address in response to a domestic violence call.

The shooting of Robert Dotson, 52, in the northwestern New Mexico city of Farmington prompted a civil lawsuit by his family members, though public prosecutors found there was no basis to pursue criminal charges against officers after a review of events. The suit alleged that the family was deprived of its civil rights and officers acted unreasonably.

Hearing a knock at the door late on April 5, 2023, Dotson put on a robe, went downstairs and grabbed a handgun before answering. Police outside shined a flashlight as Dotson appeared and raised the firearm before three police officers opened fire, killing him. Dotson did not shoot.

“Ultimately, given the significant threat Dotson posed when he pointed his firearm at officers … the immediacy of that threat, the proximity between Dotson and the defendant officers, and considering that the events unfolded in only a few seconds, the court finds that the defendant officers reasonably applied deadly force,” U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Garcia said in a written court opinion.

The judge also said the officers were entitled under the circumstances to qualified immunity — special legal protections that prevent people from suing over claims that police or government workers violated their constitutional rights.

The opinion was published May 15 — the same day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in a separate case that courts should weigh the totality of circumstances and not just a “moment of threat” when judging challenges to police shootings under the Fourth Amendment.

Tom Clark, one of the Dotson family’s attorneys, said the lawsuit against Farmington police will move forward on other claims under tort law and provisions of the New Mexico Civil Rights Act, which limits immunity for police and other government agencies.

Defense attorneys said in court filings that the officers acted reasonably under “the totality of circumstances,” noting that they repeatedly knocked and announced that police had arrived and saying Dotson “posed an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to police.”

Philip Stinson, a professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, said Tuesday that court evaluations of police immunity in shootings “sometimes lead to results that end up leaving you scratching your head.”

“Here the court is saying the police made a mistake — but in that moment they were confronted with a decision to use deadly force,” he said. “I don’t think this is the last word in this case.”

Lawyers for Dotson’s family emphasized that police were at the wrong address and that he was likely blinded by the flashlight with little inkling that police were there. They said officers did not give him sufficient time to comply with commands as an officer shouted, “Hey, hands up.”

According to the lawsuit, Dotson’s wife, wearing only a robe, came downstairs after hearing the shots and found her husband lying in the doorway. She fired outside, not knowing who was out there. Police fired 19 rounds but missed her.

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New Mexico

New high school graduation requirements go into effect this fall

Published

1 day ago

May 20, 2025

Press Room

New high school graduation requirements go into effect this fall

New Mexico state leaders know the best way to get more kids to graduate is to get more of them to go to school every day, and that means giving students a reason to show up.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – New Mexico state leaders know the best way to get more kids to graduate is to get more of them to go to school every day, and that means giving students a reason to show up.

State lawmakers are hoping to do just that with a new, modernized set of high school graduation requirements focused on teaching kids the skills they need to thrive in the real world.

“I think it could have a huge impact, and I hope that it will,” said Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Gabriella Blakey.

Blakey says the state’s new high school graduation requirements are not a one-size-fits all approach, and that’s the point.

“It’s really connecting students to like why they go to school, and really finding what their own passions and interests are, and not making every student’s career path in high school look the same,” said Blakey.

Students will still be required to earn 24 total credits, including four units of English, and four units of math. Although, Algebra 2 will no longer be required to graduate.

“We have opened up opportunities for students to make wise choices about their career and make wise choices about their interests and strengths in order to support a really strong mathematics pathway through their four years of high school,” said Amanda Debell, deputy secretary of the Public Education Department.

Students will still need three units of science, and four units of social studies, which must include some type of financial literacy coursework.

“So students are learning when it’s appropriate time about money and their financial lives, post and during high school, because many of them are earning money now,” said Debell.

There are still PE and health class requirements, but the biggest change is coming to the electives. Individual school districts will get to decide on two credit requirements for their students based on local input.

“For example, we see districts offering more agricultural type electives because they are in an agricultural area, or we see additional language courses being added as a requirement,” Debell said.

Giving New Mexico’s students more power over their future.

“By being able to open up these credits in this way, we’re really able to tailor a more personalized environment for our students. And our students really tell us that that’s what they want,” said Blakey.

The incoming freshman class, the Class of 2029, will be the first class to graduate under these new requirements.

PED leaders say districts will have to decide on those extra two credits in the next few weeks.

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New Mexico

Magdalena Ranger District to Implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions

Published

2 days ago

May 19, 2025

Press Room

Magdalena Ranger District to Implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions

May 19, 2025 by cibolanfng

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – May 19, 2025 – The Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands will implement Stage 1 Fire Restrictions on all National Forest System (NFS) lands in the Magdalena Ranger District as described per order 03-03-03-25-08 and as shown on the attached map.

This Order shall be in effect from Thursday May 22, 2025 at 8:00 AM through Thursday July 31, 2025 at 2359, unless rescinded.

The purpose of this Order for Stage 1 Fire Restrictions is to reduce the risk of human-caused wildfires during periods of high fire danger and severe fire weather conditions.

Stage 1 fire restrictions mean fires, campfires, charcoal grills, and coal and wood stoves are allowed only in developed campsites where agency-built fire rings or grills are provided for use on the Magdalena Ranger District.

Campfires are prohibited at all dispersed camping sites on the Magdalena Ranger District per this order. Stoves, lanterns or heaters fueled by propane or other liquefied petroleum fuels may be used district-wide in areas cleared of flammable materials within three feet of the device, if they meet manufacturer’s safety specifications and have on/off switches. Smoking is allowed only in enclosed vehicles or buildings and developed recreation sites. Chainsaw use is permitted.

Official Order 03-03-03-25-08 is posted on Cibola National Forest and National Grasslands Alerts & Notices

National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC): Southwest Fire Restriction Map

All fire information and updates will be posted on the Cibola NF & NGs website, New Mexico Fire Information website, and the Cibola NF & NGs Facebook & X pages.

Further information regarding this Order may be obtained at the Magdalena Ranger District located in Magdalena, New Mexico, telephone number (575)854-2281, and at the Cibola National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, telephone number (505) 346-3900.