Liliana

Whether you’re a hard-scrabble rancher or a dogged environmental advocate, there’s at least one thing we all share in the New Mexico: Respect and love of the land.

Hilcorp Energy Co., from its offices in Texas, doesn’t understand this. To them, the land is just a commodity to foul for profit.

The David vs. Goliath Story of a Ranching Family and an Oil Giant They were cowboys amid the mesas in a corner of New Mexico. For years they coexisted with an oil company — until one day they couldn’t.

“I mean, hell, the country’s making [them] just very, very wealthy. Why would you not put a little bit back into what you tear up?”
~Richard Hodgson, rancher, Rio Arriba County

In this tough story, Redfern puts a very human face on NM landowners fighting Big Oil.

capitalandmain.com/the-david-vs...

New Mexico’s Billion-Dollar Oilfield Orphans A recent report says abandoned oil infrastructure could cost the state up to $1.6 billion in coming years. This is how.

Across the U.S., oil well operators declare bankruptcy and abandon highly contaminated and dilapidated facilities for state and federal agencies to clean up.

Such cleanup could cost New Mexico taxpayers $1.6 billion in the coming years.

capitalandmain.com/new-mexicos-...

New Mexico’s Billion-Dollar Oilfield Orphans A recent report says abandoned oil infrastructure could cost the state up to $1.6 billion in coming years. This is how.

Jerry Redfern @capitalandmain.bsky.social exposes 1.6 billion dollars worth of dirty laundry (or more) fm New Mexico's golden child...

“...the Reclamation Fund is not a substitute for adequate bonding and financial assurance from operators” NM Rep Matthew McQueen
capitalandmain.com/new-mexicos-...

Here's a great story abt how New Mexico ranchers teamed up w/environmentalists, regulators and even oilfield contractors to attack the estimated $1.6B problem of unplugged oil & gas wells and storage facilities.

It all starts w/requiring adequate plugging bonds.

capitalandmain.com/new-mexicos-...

Calling all NM local+tribal governments:
The Community Energy Efficiency Development (CEED) program has $15 million to fund #energyefficiency projects in underserved communities that reduce energy use, lower utility bills, and cut pollution. Apply by 9/25. emnrd.nm.gov/ecmd/ceed

You can't grow chile without clean water We are ranchers in Rio Arriba County. From the ponderosas down to the sagebrush, this land is both rugged and sacred. Ancient rivers carved the canyons and left the mesas

We can’t pass down poisoned land and call it a legacy...

to protect what we've inherited we need bonding reform, forcing oil companies to fully fund well plugging/cleanup. So far abandoned wells have cost taxpayers $100M. #NMPol

hat tip @westernlaw.org

www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_v...

NYT: One estimate finds that DOGE’s “firings, re-hirings, lost productivity and paid leave of thousands of workers” will actually COST taxpayers “upward of $135 billion this fiscal year.”

@nytimes.com 🤡
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/u...

Introducing Alternative AmeriCorps: a growing movement of staff, volunteers, and supporters who stand united in defense of national service.

We're fighting back against unelected billionaires and modern-day robber barons as they attempt to dismantle AmeriCorps and erase three decades of progress.

Currently watching House Energy Natural Resources Committee debating SB23 to raise the royalty rates #oilandgas🛢️ companies pay us for extracting OUR resources #nmpol

NM Clean water bill sb21 passes senate! Thank you to this crucial bill's sponsors and supporting senators! Next stop: House of representatives. Thanks to rep. ortez, sen. wirth, and sen. gonzales!

Hi #NMPol #NMLeg! Great news: The New Mexico water protection bill (SB21) just passed the full Senate! Here's our release about it.

westernlaw.org/bill-to-rest...

Picture of roughly ~25 folks standing before a New Mexico Senate Committee in support of SB 4, the Clear Horizons Act, a climate action bill.

We're before the #NMleg Sen. Finance Cmt. on SB4, the Clear Horizons Act, a well-designed climate bill. All these folks standing are taking time from their day to support climate action. May they prevail over the oil & gas interests in opposition to this bill.

Be fierce, people ✊🏼.

Good afternoon, #NMPol #NMLeg! Right now, the Senate Finance Committee is hearing from SO MANY New Mexicans testify in favor of SB4, the Clear Horizons Act to codify emissions limits set forth in a @govmlg.bsky.social executive order and other good #ClimateAction. Join us on Zoom:

Say it with us: PNM announced closure of San Juan coal plant in 2017 because coal is expensive. The ETA was passed in 2019 to invest in the surrounding community and make sure coal workers got both severance and job-training funding. #nmlegis #ClearHorizonsAct #SB4

The newly released 2025 Conservation in the West poll found that a majority of New Mexicans - 77% - support the government taking action to reduce carbon pollution that contributes to climate change, such as the Clear Horizons Act (Senate Bill 4) #nmleg #nmpol

O&G industry says regulation will hurt jobs: In NM, despite record crude oil production in the Permian Basin, oil production jobs are down 20% from pre-pandemic levels, despite production increasing 200% since 2018 www.eia.gov/state/print.... #nmleg #nmpol

We’re now at the point of the New Mexico legislative session where oil & gas flexes its muscles (aka the legislators they’ve bought) with lies, dissembling, and bullshit.

New Mexico has half the air pollution as Texas Texas had almost triple the active oil and gas drilling rigs of New Mexico, according to the latest data out Nov. 17 by Baker Hughes.

Several Senators stated NM produces the "cleanest barrel of oil in the world." Context is important - it's cleaner because of NM regs requiring the industry to curb methane venting and flaring. Even with regs, industry is booming.
#nmpol #nmleg #energy

www.lcsun-news.com/story/news/2...

How America solved its first air pollution crisis — and why solving the next one will be harder The history of American air pollution, explained.

Sen. Sharer says that smog was solved by the O&G industry cleaning up its act. Well, yes, thanks to environmental regs pushing them and other sectors to do so.
#nmpol #nmleg
www.vox.com/future-perfe...

TAOSEÑOS: URGENT ACTION NEEDED Kit Carson Cooperative is opposing transformational climate legislation right now at the NM State Legislature. The bill? SB4 – The Clear Horizons Act 1. Please call and email Kit Carson NOW. Say: "We are grateful for the action you've taken to protect our climate and are surprised to hear you are opposing SB4 - Clear Horizons Act. Please reverse this position and come out in support of urgent action on climate." (575) 758-2258 – csr@kitcarson.com 2. Please then call and email you Senator Gonzales. Ask him to vote in support of Climate Action. Remind him that climate powered fires and floods are devastating our state. Ask him to vote yes on SB4 and put NM communities first. (505) 986-4362 – roberto.gonzales@nmlegis.gov

Take action RIGHT NOW for state level climate action in New Mexico, Taoseños!

Senator Ezell describes the smell of oil and gas pollution as the smell of money.... The cost of all that contamination? Close to incalculable. Ferocious fires followed by floods, extreme heat and drought. #ActonClimate Vote yes on SB4. Chevron in Exxon are busy lobbying against our future.

We 💖 you Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart. Without you, NM would be as dry as a climate-denied future!
💕 Share this if you want Sen. Stewart to feel the love across the state! 💕

Bill to restore clean water protections, safeguard drinking water passes second committee - Western Environmental Law Center Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted 6-3 to pass SB 21, a substitute bill combining SB 21 and SB22. The bill will provide critical protections for New Mexico waters. The bills earlier passed th...

Huge kudos to @senatorwirth.bsky.social for his expert leadership!

SB 21/22 would restore New Mexico water quality protections to the same level that existed for decades, starting in 1972 w/passage of the Clean Water Act, b/f SCOTUS eroded them, most recently in 2023 Sackett v. EPA. #NMleg #NMpol

Sen. Scott, despite your O&G fluffing, the NM oil and gas industry only employs 2% of the New Mexico workforce. www.dws.state.nm.us/Portals/0/DM...

Shoutout to @nmpope.bsky.social
for his comments in support of SB48/49 Community Benefits Fund! NM’s impacts on climate chaos is outsized and everything we can do to mitigate that is a net win for the planet, AND we should be funding our communities to be more resilient in the near future! 🎉

O&G companies (and the chamber of commerce) talk a big game about workers, but they’re quick to fire workers to protect profits & quick to abandon communities when the oil & gas runs dry.

Thus are oligarchs.

Larry Scott claims that there is nothing that the second most abundant oil and gas extracting state (NM) in the country (14th in the world) can do about the climate crisis. #NMleg. #ActonClimate

Sen. Scott, an actual #oilsndgas🛢️ executive, asks a series of questions about science that literally all just sound like “hey you’re threatening my bottom line”. And Sen. Stewart deftly swatted them ALL like so many flies 👏👏👏 #nmpol

a woman in a pink top says yes yes yes in front of a microphone ALT: a woman in a pink top says yes yes yes in front of a microphone

Damn!! Sen. Sedillo Lopez spitting 🔥 in SCONC just now.
“The #oilandgas🛢️ companies profited by exploiting a resource that belongs to every New Mexican. It’s only right that some of that money go to Community Benefits Fund!”

a group of young men are posing for a picture and one of them is wearing a striped shirt ALT: a group of young men are posing for a picture and one of them is wearing a striped shirt

That clap back from Sen. Stewart got us like…