New Mexico

Southeast New Mexico lawmakers claim victory, frustration after 2024 legislative session

Published

2 years ago

February 23, 2024

Southeast New Mexico lawmakers claim victory, frustration after 2024 legislative session

Southeast New Mexico Republicans said they defended the oil and gas industry, gun rights and business owners from Democrat-led initiatives during the 2024 Legislative Session that concluded Feb. 15.

Several bills seeking to increase restrictions on firearms, regulations on industry and drive up costs for consumers were blocked or “watered down,” GOP leaders said, while others succeeded to the chagrin of the minority party.

This year’s session was focused on the budget, running for 30 days, compared to 60-day session convening on odd-numbered years.

More: New Mexico Democrats criticized for inaction on fentanyl bills

But that didn’t stop Democrats who control both the House and Senate and the Governor’s Office from pushing bills Republicans viewed as limiting constitutional rights or stymieing the economy via restrictions on New Mexico’s nation-leading fossil fuel industry.

Oil and gas bills mostly blocked after early-session momentum

Revenue from the fossil fuel industry accounted for about 54 percent of New Mexico’s revenue for the next fiscal year, contended Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R-54) of Carlsbad, displaying the industry’s import to the state.

House Bill 133 was intended to reform the Oil and Gas Act by adding requirements like setbacks between oil and gas facilities and residences or bodies of water. It also increased bonding requirements that operators pay to fund clean up of abandoned wells, and would have codified into law gas capture requirements enacted by the state’s Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.

More: ‘Renewable’ geothermal energy boosted by bill passed by New Mexico House

Despite the setbacks being removed, and the bonding requirements tiered to reduce costs for smaller oil companies, the bill stalled on the House Floor without a vote.

Brown said this indicated more lawmakers, including Democrat leadership, were beginning to see the essential role oil and gas plays in New Mexico.

“The more you tax this industry, the less production you get and the less revenue for the state of New Mexico,” she said. “I think we started the session with the news that the oil and gas industry provided 54 percent of state revenue. That to me was a reality check to everyone about how important this industry is to the state.”

More: 2024 Legislative session wrap up: Here’s how energy and environment bills fared

Rep. Jim Townsend (R-54) of Artesia said in a likely first, major oil companies appeared to support the amended bill, while smaller, independent producers remained opposed.

“The smaller producers were not in favor of that,” Townsend said. “When you have a major lobbyist up there wanting something, you know it’s good for their shareholders. But I think, all in all, everybody did alright.”

House Bill 48, which would have raised royalty rates operators pay on the value of oil and gas also stalled − this time in the Senate Finance Committee despite passing the House.

More: Tax credits, rape kits & highways: Find out what bills your Eddy Co. Senators are sponsoring

“Most of the state land is already leased,” Brown said. “It was really a window dressing bill. It would not have produced much new revenue.”

Sen. Ron Griggs (R-34) touted his sponsored Senate Bill 64, which was added to the tax package passed by the legislature and awaiting approval from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. He said this language allowed some exceptions for small oil and gas operators from paying severance taxes on low-producing or “stripper wells” while also devising a program to help those operators come into compliance with state regulations.

More: $300M needed for New Mexico land conservation; Supporters argue for funding in budget bill

“It’s probably the first oil and gas bill in the last 20 or 30 years that was favorable to the industry,” Griggs said. “But it’s also favorable to New Mexico because it allows them (oil companies) to continue producing oil and gas.”

Griggs, Brown and Townsend, like many members of their party, were heavily opposed to House Bill 41, known as the “Clean Transportation Fuels Standard” which passed the House and Senate and was awaiting Lujan Grisham’s signature as of Thursday.

HB 41 called on the state to begin a rulemaking targeting reductions in carbon pollution from cars and trucks, an action many viewed as favoring electric vehicles and driving up costs for energy companies.

More: Short term state revenue loss for Hobbs passes committee, bills for Carlsbad stalled

The bill would only serve to increase the price New Mexico drivers pay at the pump, Townsend said. Brown estimated the bill would increase gasoline prices by up to 50 cents per gallon.

“Hopefully the governor comes to her senses and realizes that’s a really partisan bill,” Townsend said. “That was a Democrat bill, and I think they’re going to pay for it.”

Democrats push gun reforms that infringe ‘constitutional rights,’ GOP says

Firearms were also a lead topic during the session in the wake of a Lujan Grisham executive order in September that banned open or concealed carry in Albuquerque and the surrounding area amid mounting gun violence.

More: Gov. Lujan Grisham wants New Mexico to spend big. Should oil and gas foot the bill?

The order was blocked by a federal judge days later, but Democrats signaled they remained set on adding restrictions on gun to address the state’s crime problems.

Two bills made it through the legislature this year: one that imposed a seven-day waiting period for gun sales after a background check, and another banning firearm possession at polling places.

Griggs said he expected a strong push for new gun laws from the other side of the aisle, but argued the Democratic Party’s approach would not impact criminals but law-abiding gun owners.

“The right to carry is constitutional,” he said. “All you do with this legislation is hurt the law-abiding guys. The bad guys will get them (guns). They’ll get whatever kinds of guns they can get a hold of.”

More: Republicans want to repeal New Mexico’s electric vehicle requirement

Townsend also challenged the recently-passed gun legislation as failing to address crime, contending lawmakers should have instead advanced multiple proposed bills this year to increase penalties for trafficking drugs like fentanyl allowing them to be accessed by children.

He questioned if New Mexico had ever had any gun-related incident at polling places.

“Why didn’t we do anything about fentanyl?” Townsend said. “There were a lot of things we could have done for crime in Albuquerque. It was unfortunate that we wasted our time on silly stuff.”

More: Too far or not far enough? Industry, environmentalist unite to opposed oil and gas reforms

Brown said the forefathers who drafted the U.S. Constitution never envisioned waiting periods when adding the Second Amendment, arguing such limits could affect the ability of women to defend themselves from domestic violence.

“We already have instant federal background checks. If it comes back to proceed, that person should be able to buy that firearm,” Brown said. “No person should have to wait seven days to defend themselves.”

GOP claims victory in blocking paid family medical leave

The minority party was successful in preventing Senate Bill 3, the Paid Family Medical Leave Act which would have created a state-run program to give workers up to 12 weeks off with no interruption in pay to address medical issues like doctor visits for family members.

More: Roads, school and national debt: Here’s what Eddy County representatives hope to make law

SB 3 would have created a fund for the program, requiring employers and employees to pay in.

The GOP argued this would unfairly burden businesses in New Mexico, and it was voted down on the House Floor after hours of debate.

Brown, who voted against SB 3, said it would take more money out New Mexicans’ pockets for a program she said not everyone would use.

“It would take money out of employees paychecks,” Brown said. “People don’t want to loose more of their paycheck. It’s paying into something most people wouldn’t use.”

Griggs said the bill needed to go through the Senate or House judiciary committees to fine tune its language to address multiple “holes” the bill had when introduced to lawmakers. This included language that allowed workers to use the program for people they “had an affinity for,” Griggs said, among several examples of language he said was too broad.

“I’m not sure why we would want to subject businesses to that,” Griggs said. “There’s a lot of open-ended things in that bill I hope they will address in the interim. It’s coming back.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

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New Mexico

New Mexico Dominates Distance Events On Day One Of 2026 Credit Union 1 MW Indoor Track & Field Championships

Published

12 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championship Central | Live Results

RENO, Nev. – The 2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships opened competition Thursday with six events at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.

New Mexico raced out to day one leads on both team leaderboards thanks to dominant efforts in Thursday’s distance events. Both Pamela Kosgei and Habtom Samuel won repeat 5,000-Meter gold and broke their respective Mountain West Championships records.

Kosgei’s time of 15:32.15 led a top-four sweep in the event as she was followed in order by Mercy Kirarei, Christina Nisoli, and Nicola Jansen. The performance paced the Lobo women to 41 points on the night, leading Fresno State (19 points) and GCU (18) early on.

On the men’s side, Habtom Samuel captured the 5,000 Meters in 13:30.40, breaking his own meet record for the second year in a row, for a 14-second victory over Wyoming’s Jacob White. Lobo teammate Evans Kiplagat took third, pacing the New Mexico to 29 points for an early lead over Air Force (13 points) and Utah State (12).

New Mexico also swept both Distance Medley Relays. First up, the Lobo women cruised to gold in 11:02.09, 22 seconds better than runner-up Boise State. The New Mexico men’s DMR held off Utah State and Colorado State at the end, the Lobos’ winning time of 9:39.63 besting the Aggies by 0.69 of a second and the Rams by just over two seconds.

The meet’s first champion was crowned in the women’s pentathlon as Fresno State’s Ella Spaulding took gold, using a second-place effort in the 800 Meters to clinch. Nevada’s Johanna Haas took an early lead with a win in the 60-Meter Hurdles and a fourth place in High Jump, holding on at the end to take silver.

Wrapping up the medals for the night, conference newcomer GCU captured its first Mountain West podium finishes in Pole Vault as Eva Lowder (4.29 meters) and Tatum Moku (4.09 meters) went 1-2.

The men’s Heptathlon will wrap Friday with the 60-Meter Hurdles and Pole Vault. Through four events, Colorado State’s Mateo Munoz, with 3,199 points, holds a 49-point lead over Boise State’s Landon Helms.

The preliminaries for the 200 meters also took place Thursday. Nevada’s Annalies Kalma paced the field with a time of 23.37 to qualify for Friday’s final, while on the men’s side Air Force’s Jett Rose ran a 20.82 to top the eight qualifiers.

Day Two’s competition gets underway at 10 a.m. MT with the men’s heptathlon 60-meter hurdles.

The Mountain West Network will provide live coverage of the 2026 MW Indoor Track & Field Championships. Fans can watch the indoor track & field championships on their phones or connected TVs via the Mountain West app.

Watch every moment of the MW Indoor Track & Field Championships LIVE on your own TV through Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV or Roku. Mobile applications are available through the iOS App Store and Google Play. Visit TheMW.com/app for more information.

For more information regarding the Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Championships, including live results, visit the championship central page or follow the Mountain West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Champions – Day One

Women

Pentathlon: Ella Spaulding, Fresno State – 4,022 points

5,000-Meters: Pamela Kosgei, New Mexico – 15:32.15

Pole Vault: Eva Lowder, GCU – 4.29 Meters

Distance Medley Relay: New Mexico – 11:02.09

Men

5,000 Meters: Habtom Samuel, New Mexico; 13:30.40

Distance Medley Relay: New Mexico; 9:39.63

2026 Credit Union 1 Mountain West Indoor Track & Field Team Leaderboards – Day One

Women

1. New Mexico – 41

2. Fresno State – 18

3. Grand Canyon – 17

4. Nevada – 16

T5. Air Force – 1 4

T5. Boise State – 14

7. Utah State – 13.5

8. San Diego State – 11.5

9. Wyoming – 7

10. Colorado State – 4

11. San José State – 0

12. UNLV – 0

Men

1. New Mexico – 29

2. Air Force – 13

3. Utah State – 12

4. Wyoming – 12

5. Colorado State – 6

6. Boise State – 3

7. San José State – 2

8. Grand Canyon – 1

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New Mexico

NMSP release details on capture of Fort Sumner shooting suspects

Published

24 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

NMSP release details on capture of Fort Sumner shooting suspects

DE BACA COUNTY, N.M. (KFDA) – New Mexico State Police have released new details on the capture of both Fort Sumner shooting suspects.

On Feb. 23, NMSP Investigations Bureau agents were requested to investigate an officer-involved shooting involving a NMSP Sergeant on US Highway 285, south of Vaughn in Guadalupe County, New Mexico.

Agents learned that the NMSP Sergeant conducted a traffic stop on a black Kia Sportage on US Highway 285, near mile marker 185, after learning the car was reportedly stolen.

Officials say during the stop, the female driver identified as 26-year-old Makaela Johnson, exited the car. As the Sergeant was placing Johnson in handcuffs, the male passenger, identified as 40-year-old Jovan Martinez, exited the stolen car with a rifle and fired at the Sergeant.

Police say Johnson ran back to the stolen car while still handcuffed and entered the passenger seat as the Sergeant took cover behind his police unit and returned fire with his duty weapon.

Martinez and Johnson fled from the scene and officers lost sight of the car.

While responding to the incident, NMSP officers encountered a couple near mile marker 166, who reported that their car had just been stolen at gunpoint.

The couple stated that Martinez and Johnson were standing in the roadway and Martinez fired a least one shot at the ground, forcing the couple to stop.

According to officials, the couple was ordered out of their car, which was a grey Kia K5 passenger vehicle.

Martinez and Johnson then took the second Kia and continued fleeing.

Officials say the original stolen Kia Sportage involved in the traffic stop was later located near the intersection of US Highway 285 and New Mexico State Highway 247.

The car left the roadway and drove through two barbed wire fences before coming to a rest in an open field.

According to police, the second stolen Kia K5 was found abandoned east of the intersection of River Road and Lone Wolf Road, south of Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

On Feb. 25, following a two-day manhunt, Martinez and Johnson were located hiding in a shed and taken into custody outside of Fort Sumner.

They were booked without incident on the following charges:

jovan Martinez:

Attempt to commit a felony, to WIT: first degree murder(willful or deliberate)
Aggravated assault upon a Peace Officer (deadly weapon)
Receipt, transportation or possession of a firearm or destructive device by a felon
Conspiracy to commit receiving or transferring stolen motor vehicles
Armed robbery
Harboring a felon
Aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer (no injury or great bodily harm)

Makaela Johnson:

Conspiracy to commit first degree murder (willful or deliberate)
Conspiracy to commit aggravated assault upon a Peace Officer (deadly weapon)
Conspiracy to commit armed robbery
Harboring a felon
Receiving or transferring stolen motor vehicles
Escape or attempt to escape from Peace Officer
Larceny ($250 or less)

Officials say no officers were injured during this incident.

This incident remains under investigation by the New Mexico State Investigations Bureau.

The identity of the NMSP Sergeant will not be released until interviews are completed. The Sergeant has been placed on standard administrative leave.

New Mexico State Police act solely as factfinders in their investigation and conduct an unbiased and impartial investigation. In officer involved shootings, NMSP thoroughly documents the scene, collects evidence, and interviews officers, subjects, and witnesses.

The New Mexico State Police does not determine whether an officer’s actions were justified, this determination rests solely with the district attorney’s office.

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New Mexico

Smug New Mexico State Police Killer Gets Death Penalty Case in South Carolina – ABQ RAW

Published

2 days ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Smug New Mexico State Police Killer Gets Death Penalty Case in South Carolina – ABQ RAW

Albuquerque, NM and Florence, SC –

Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina announced that it filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Jaremy Alexander Smith, 35, of Marion, South Carolina, for the 2024 kidnapping, carjacking, and murder of a Marion County EMS Paramedic. A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment on Feb. 24 charging Smith with kidnapping resulting in death, carjacking resulting in death, using a firearm during a crime of violence in a manner constituting murder, possession of stolen firearms, and being a felon in possession of firearms.