Biden Wants To End Oil Industry. Where Do New Mexico’s Leaders Stand?
Photo: In this 2015 file photo, pumpjacks work in a field near Lovington, New Mexico.
Photo Credit: Charlie Riedel / AP
The Center Square -Larry Behrens / Power The Future
Many would consider the idea of destroying one of New Mexico’s most effective and profitable industries radical, or at least way out-of-touch.
However, it’s now the centerpiece of Joe Biden’s energy plan.
During the last presidential debate, former Vice President Biden told the world: “I would transition away from the oil industry, yes.” Biden also added, “The oil industry pollutes, significantly. It has to be replaced by renewable energy over time.”
For New Mexico, that means over 100,000 working families will be out of a job and nearly 40 percent of our entire state budget would disappear. The latest rankings place New Mexico with the EIGHTH highest unemployment in the country, a standing that will be more permanent if Joe Biden decides nearly 15 percent of the state’s workforce needs to “transition” out of their job to poverty.
New Mexico Democratic Congresswoman Xochitl Torres Small rightfully accused her party’s candidate of demonizing the oil industry. However, she also has said she will be voting for Biden in the election. If you’re confused by watching Congresswoman Torres Small try to walk the political tightrope between Biden and the people of her district, you’re not alone.
If you want to find someone who is firmly behind Biden and his energy plans, we need to look no further than Santa Fe. Just last month, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham told the world she also wants to “transition out fossil fuels.” Keep in mind, she was talking to fellow eco-left governors of California and Colorado, so perhaps she thinks her comments won’t be seen by New Mexico’s energy workers.
The governor’s disastrous position is very similar to Biden’s as they’re both being public about the fact they stand with the radical eco-left instead of New Mexico’s energy workers. They are showing their true colors, and New Mexico’s other elected leaders need to pick a side as well.
New Mexico’s energy workers have delivered affordable and reliable power for decades. They’ve built up the state and communities while under constant attack from radical environmentalists. Make no mistake, they are watching as a major party candidate, and the state’s governor openly talk about destroying their jobs.
And they’re watching to see if New Mexico’s other elected officials will stay silent about it.
Larry Behrens is the Western States Director for Power The Future, an organization fighting for America’s Energy Workers. He previously served as Communications Director for New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez.
