Opinion: Oil and gas throwing stones at glass houses
(Published in Carlsbad Current Argus, July 2, 2020)
It’s no surprise that Larry Behrens uses his tired talking points when talking about the recent Legislative special session, but in his June 29 op-ed, “Renewable agenda can’t deliver for New Mexico,” there are some hasty generalizations and strawman attacks needing to be addressed.
The state does rely heavily on oil and gas revenues. That part is true. But the aim of moving New Mexico into a renewable energy future sooner rather than later has just as much to do with moving away from the unreliable nature of those fossil fuel revenues as it does protecting our environment and offering cheaper energy to New Mexico residents.
The thing about long term, reliable energy sources like solar is that the price doesn’t fluctuate whenever foreign powers decide to play chicken with international oil prices. New Mexicans deserve a budget they can count on year in and year out without having to pit teachers against healthcare workers every few months because of outside influences on the market. Make no mistake, the problem with New Mexico’s budget is BECAUSE of the over-reliance on the oil and gas sector. Read full piece in Carlsbad Current Argus