In recent years the “left” including most, but not all in the Democratic Party have turned sharply against traditional energy sources. Despite New Mexico’s status as a leading energy state, it has not been exempted from this trend.
In fact, while New Mexico has seen an unprecedented oil and gas boom (which has unlocked unprecedented government revenues) New Mexico’s political leadership has become virulently anti-energy. This is true for all five members of its congressional delegation which all reflexively support anti-energy policies that are contrary to the State’s interests.
But the Legislature, especially since Gov. Lujan Grisham became Gov. in 2019, has turned against traditional energy sources. The first step was the Energy Transition Act of 2019. Among other things the bill shut down the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station and eliminated nuclear from the list of “green” replacement power sources. Instead, the State has now embarked upon a plan to derive 100% of its electricity combination of wind, solar, and battery backup by 2045.