OP/ED

Op-Ed: About Monday’s ‘We Love Public Lands Rally’

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By C&R FRES
Los Alamos

Ref: ‘We Love Public Lands Rally’ To Protest Proposed Public Land Sales & National Monument Reductions Monday, June 23.

And yet, last year when the BLM proposed transferring (via a lopsided trade arrangement) nearly 2,000 acres of BLM land to Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, practically no one made a peep.

If that transfer is completed, there will be nearly 2,000 acres of once publicly accessible land in northern NM that will be FOREVER cut off from public access. Unless, maybe, just maybe, you are allowed by the Pueblo to pay to access it as part of a Pueblo resort, golf course, Read More

Op-Ed: Volunteer Firefighters Should Be Included Under New Mexico’s Cancer Presumption Legislation

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By JONATHAN SHARP
Chief Financial Officer
Environmental Litigation Group, P.C.,

Firefighting remains one of the most hazardous professions. In addition to visible threats such as collapsing structures, poisonous smoke, and thermal injuries, these first responders face prolonged exposure to toxic substances, including per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Often dubbed “forever chemicals” – these synthetic compounds were once praised for their exceptional strength and chemical stability, making them integral to various firefighting products, such as turnout gear and Read More

Op Ed: New Mexico’s Oil And Gas Industry Leads On Well Plugging—Let’s Keep It That Way

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By MISSI CURRIER
President & CEO
New Mexico Oil & Gas Association (NMOGA)

When it comes to environmental responsibility, New Mexico’s oil and gas industry is not just stepping up—we’re leading the way. In recent years, oil and gas operators plugged over 90% of the wells decommissioned in the state. That’s 451 wells plugged by industry, compared to just 49 plugged by the Oil Conservation Division (OCD). For every well plugged using public funds, the oil and gas industry independently plugs ten more—without fanfare, and without burdening New Mexico taxpayers.

Let’s be clear: only tax Read More

Taking The First Step Toward A Gubernatorial Run: Why Open Primaries Matter

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By DAN RODRIGUEZ
New Mexico

I’ve taken a small but significant step toward running for governor of New Mexico by officially registering with the Secretary of State. As I weigh the decision to fully enter the race, one issue continues to keep me up at night: New Mexico’s newly enacted open primary law.

Thanks to legislation passed in the 2025 session, New Mexico voters who are not affiliated with a political party can now vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary elections. The law states: “A voter who has declined to designate on the voter’s certificate of registration a party affiliation Read More

Skolnik: Response To Lisa Shin

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By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock

Dr. Shin’s adulation for Donald Trump’s economic policies is extraordinarily short-sighted (link). It is especially disappointing to me, given that Dr. Shin is a healthcare provider.

To assist Dr. Shin’s consideration of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and Trump’s economic policies, I would like to remind her, for a start, of the following negative impacts of the bill on the US economy and on the American people.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that the bill will add $2.4 trillion to the federal deficit from 2025 to 2034.

According to the Read More

Hampton: Proposed Heat Regulations Damaging To Business

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By DAVID HAMPTON
Los Alamos

The New Mexico Environment Department is currently inviting public input on a new “heat” regulation. You can comment on the project at the NMED website through May 30, 2025: EIB 25-11 (R) – Proposed New Regulation, 11.5.7 NMAC – Heat Illness and Injury Prevention. 

Among the provisions contained in the proposed regulation is the requirement that employers must conduct time-consuming heat exposure assessments when the heat index meets or exceeds just 80°F. 

It goes without saying that 80 degrees is a common temperature for nearly any New Mexican to Read More

Knight: Deep Federal Spending Cuts Would Hit New Mexicans Hard

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By PAIGE KNIGHT
NM Voices for Children’s Director of Research

Children and families throughout New Mexico deserve access to affordable health care and nutritious food. However, Congressional Republicans are pushing for harsh cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other programs that working families need to make ends meet, all to fund trillions more in tax cuts for billionaires and corporations.

Medicaid is the largest source of health coverage in the nation, with 836,881 New Mexicans—and 350,453 of our state’s children—relying on Medicaid Read More

Short-Sighted Taxation On Oil And Gas ‘A Recipe For Disaster’

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By MISSI CURRIER
CEO
New Mexico Oil and Gas Association

In recent legislative sessions, there has been a push to further tax the oil and gas industry in New Mexico. This approach is not only short-sighted but also detrimental to the state’s economic stability and growth.

The price of oil is notoriously volatile, subject to global market fluctuations and geopolitical tensions.

Legislators seem to focus solely on the immediate revenue that can be generated from higher taxes, ignoring the long-term consequences. This myopic view fails to consider the inherent instability of Over the Read More

Op-Ed: DPU Should Consider Shopping Local For Solar

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By RICK NEBEL
Los Alamos

Several years ago, my wife Kathy and my son Dan worked for Carol and Tex Felts at Los Alamos Music. Like many small businesses they provided multiple services to the community. They gave music lessons. They sold new and used instruments. They did “rent-to-own” instruments for beginners. They repaired instruments. However, the real money-maker for that business was that Tex tuned pianos.

For many years, Tex had a contract with the County to tune its pianos. One year he put in his usual bid, and the County told him that they had awarded the contract to some outfit from Santa   Read More

Op-Ed: A Future Worth Working For – Clean Air, Good Jobs, Climate Justice

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By Sen. Pro Tem Mimi Stewart
and
Rep. Kristina Ortez

New Mexico just accelerated our path forward to build a cleaner, more sustainable future for everyone. With the passage of the Community Benefit Fund (Senate Bill 48) and the Innovation in State Government Fund (Senate Bill 83), the state is proving that smart, community-driven climate action isn’t just possible—it’s already happening. 

These wins are the result of years of hard work by advocates, lawmakers, and New Mexicans from across the state who believe in a future where clean energy, good jobs, and resilient communities go hand in hand. Read More