New Mexico

As NM projects $350M revenue increase thanks to oil and gas, leftists target critical industry

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A new report released on Wednesday detailed that New Mexico sees a forecasted $350 million increase due to oil and gas royalties

Revenues for the state of New Mexico are tracking ahead of financial forecasts to the tune of $350 million, allowing the government to reduce the amount of money it will have to siphon out of its rainy day fund in the upcoming fiscal year.

According to Dawn Iglesias, the chief economist for the Legislative Finance Committee, “In addition to higher revenues, the state also expects to receive nearly $133 million more in its Tax Stabilization Reserve from excess oil and gas taxes,” reports the Santa Fe New Mexican. 

Although active drilling rigs have declined from 114 in March 2020 to 71 now, “production in New Mexico is recovering even though the number of active rigs has declined.”

According to the New Mexican, “The state is expected to produce about 390 million barrels in the new fiscal year. That’s 20 million barrels more than projected in February. Each additional million barrels of oil generates about $3 million for the general fund.” 

But despite oil and gas being to thank for economic recovery, the fringe leftist group ProgressNow New Mexico began a new campaign trying to destroy the oil and gas industry with a bizarre campaign called  “Crude Intentions NM,” filling and pouring onto random objects what appears to be crude oil.

The extremist group, which is tied directly to the ANTIFA domestic terrorist organization, claims the oil and gas industry is “burdensome” to the state despite it being a major funding source for critical life-saving medical facilities, education, and infrastructure. 

The group is trying to blame oil and gas (which has no seat at the table in terms of building and educational curriculum, just funding) for the state’s failed education system. ProgressNow New Mexico writes, “Big Oil contributes to New Mexico’s education system, but our public schools rank worst in the nation. We need better education for our kids, not this toxic mess.” 

The same hollow “the sky is falling” rhetoric mimics another discredited fringe group “Wild Earth Guardians,” which claimed in an online petition, “If oil and gas were the key to New Mexico’s prosperity, the state would be one of the most prosperous in the United States. It’s not even close,” adding, “The state ranks last in quality of education, has the second highest poverty rate in the United States, and was recently ranked the third worst state in the nation.” 

The liberal groups do not, however, blame the poor education system on failed Common Core standards or the Democrats’ control of the state in electoral politics for the last 80+ years.

Larry Behrens, Western States Director for Power the Future, a pro-energy group, wrote in a statement, “On the same day we learn New Mexico’s energy workers have helped deliver a $350 million increase to the state budget we find one radical group attacking those workers. This is nothing more than a desperate attempt for this fringe group to find relevance and it’s clear their attempt to go after oil isn’t very slick.”

Liberal group warns that CD-1 blowout win is not a bellwether for Democrats

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On Tuesday, the liberal group “Progressive Majority PAC” sounded the alarm about New Mexico’s First Congressional District June 1st blowout win for Democrats and how it should not be a bellwether to determine how liberals will do in 2022.

The group noted how the Republican nominee, state Sen. Mark Moores, lost to epic proportions, getting an 8% lower vote total than Deb Haaland during her 2020 run for the seat she vacated. 

The PAC noted that “This district has trended towards the Democrats in recent years and isn’t the best example of tougher purple districts we need to win in 2022 to expand our House majority.” 

It also noted how “New Mexico is controlled by Democrats” and the voter fraud efforts in the state by liberals have not been hampered by Republicans, such as in states like Florida or Georgia where voter laws have made it easier to vote but harder to cheat. 

Progressive Majority PAC wrote that the institution of these anti-fraud laws “will make it even harder for Democrats to compete on an even playing field.” 

Moores’ blowout loss is closely tied not as much with fraud as it is with voters being disenfranchised by the closed-door primary comprised of a couple of hundred people and not the entire GOP electorate in the First District. 

That mixed with Moores’ votes with radical Democrats on things like the Green New Deal and his hollow campaign messaging all contributed to Moores’ monumental loss to socialist Melanie Stansbury. 

On Tuesday, RINO has-beens spilled their guts to the liberal Washington, D.C. paper POLITICO trying to criticize President Trump for Moores’ embarrassing loss. Naturally, the hit piece fell flat among Republicans.

RINO has-beens gush to leftist paper, try to weaken GOP by blaming Trump for Moores’ blowout loss

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On Tuesday, the left-wing paper POLITICO posted an article attempting to throw President Donald Trump under the bus for failed ex-congressional candidate state Sen. Mark Moores’ embarrassing loss to socialist state Rep. Melanie Stansbury in the June 1, 2021, special election to fill Deb Haaland’s seat. Moores lost by 24 points, losing even his own district by 3.5%.

Moores ran a limp campaign, full of empty rhetoric without even muttering the words “America First” or “Trump.” After he got the GOP nomination through a closed-door process fewer than 200 party insiders selected him as the nominee, to the displeasure of the Republican base, Moores did everything he could to placate “moderates,” while ignoring the GOP base, which would have put him over the top to win the election—if he was not a Republican In Name Only (RINO). Moores voted with Democrats on radical proposals, including for the Green New Deal.

“The striking thing about the results is that you would expect, in a special election, for the party opposite the White House to get a little bit of a bump,” said Rod Adair, a discredited blogger and long-defeated ex-legislator. “It was actually worse,” he added. He did not, however, mention Moores’ refusal to embrace Trump to bring out the GOP base, even though Trump is extremely popular among Republicans.

“Nobody’s surprised that Melanie won. I think everybody was somewhat shocked at the margin,” said RINO Darren White, the failed ex-nominee for Congress in the First District, marijuana dealer, and big-time donor to far-left Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. 

“I liked Trump’s policies, but his rhetoric is toxic, and it hurt people, and I think that Mark got the backlash from that,” said Lisa Torraco, an ex-state senator who failed to keep her seat in a district next to Moores.’ “And the state party hasn’t done anything to try to heal that,” she said. 

POLITICO also quoted a few others:

“Look, this is a guy who guaranteed Donald Trump was gonna win New Mexico,” said Dan Foley, a former state lawmaker and regular GOP pundit in the state.

“I think a lot of us—that aren’t saying the election was rigged and that Covid is like the flu, and all the other things that Trump stirred up—are so tired of the Trump message,” said Mark Veteto, president of Me-Tex Oil and Gas and a major state GOP donor from the state’s oil patch.

“They have gotten too close to Lauren Boebert and too far from Liz Cheney,” said Merritt Allen, a New Mexico public relations executive and 2018 GOP state House candidate, on Friday’s episode of New Mexico in Focus on NMPBS.

These RINO outsiders, including Adair, White, and Torraco, at fault for Moores’ blowout loss, continue to bash President Trump and use him as a scapegoat for Moores’ underperformance, even though these same people promoted the unelectable individual to be the nominee for CD-1. 

Conservative Republican State Rep. Stefani Lord of Tijeras responded to the POLITICO hit piece, writing, “They only quoted Republican hating Republicans that are trying to belittle anyone who doesn’t think like them. These fringe ‘Republicans’ are a small group who are out of touch with  the majority.” 

While Republicans across the state, including Lord, are working to promote conservative candidates and causes, the same RINOs appear happy to sit on the sidelines and kick Republicans while they are down. They also don’t mind spilling their guts to left-wing Washington, D.C. newspapers. But when Republicans—and even Moores—needed Adair, Torraco, or White’s help to win elections, they were nowhere to be found.

NM high court rules against harmed businesses, claims Gov. MLG’s lockdown was ‘reasonable’

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On Monday, it was reported that the 100% Democrat-controlled New Mexico Supreme Court, which has many Gov. Lujan Grisham-appointed judges, including Shannon Bacon and David Thomson, ruled that businesses harmed by Gov. Lujan Grisham’s pandemic lockdowns “are not entitled to compensation from the state to recoup their losses,” according to Dan Boyd of the Albuquerque Journal. 

“Occupancy limits and closure of certain categories of businesses, while certainly harsh in their economic effects, are directly tied to the reasonable purpose of limiting the public’s exposure to the potentially life-threatening and communicable disease, and thus can be deemed ‘reasonably necessary,’” the Court wrote in an opinion by Justice C. Shannon Bacon.

After the announcement, New Mexicans angered by hte decision took to Twitter to voice their frustrations.

One commenter wrote, “The Supreme court of NM again shows it is a rubber stamp for @GovMLG.  That should be your headline. Or maybe NM Supreme Court supports the governor’s ongoing efforts to kill small businesses in NM.”

Elisa Martinez, a past U.S. Senate candidate and pro-life activist with New Mexico Alliance for Life wrote, “NM Sup. Court perpetuates [Gov. MLG’s] UNCHECKED UNILATERAL authority: 1) create a 14 month “emergency” 2) shutter 40% of small businesses, transferring wealth to large corporations 3) spend $10 MILLION taxpayer dollars in a vaccine sweepstakes 4) endless scandal 5) ETC.” 

The Court mulled the case in January but had not made a ruling until now.

New Mexico redistricting commission members revealed

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On Friday, the names of most of the New Mexico redistricting commission members were revealed, with Democrat retired New Mexico Supreme Court Justice Edward Chávez, who was initially appointed to the Court by embattled Democrat Gov. Bill Richardson, being tapped as the commission’s chairman of the seven-person panel, which is set to draw district boundaries to present to the Legislature.

Other members joining the committee include State Demographer Robert Rhatigan and teacher Joaquin Sanchez, both of which are not registered to vote with any major party. 

According to the Albuquerque Journal, “Rhatigan is director of Geospatial and Population Studies at the University of New Mexico, where his work gives him a strong background in census data and map-making. Sanchez is a former engineer who now works as a math and special education teacher at Robert F. Kennedy Charter High School.” 

Republican New Mexico Senate Leader Greg Baca (R-Valencia) chose Albuquerque attorney Christopher Saucedo, a New Mexico State University regent to be on the committee, while Democrat Senate Pro Tem Mimi Stewart chose former Democrat state Sen. Lisa Curtis and Democrat House Speaker Brian chose disgraced former state Sen. Michael Sanchez to serve on the panel. Republican House Leader Jim Townsend has yet to make his selection for the seven-person panel.

In December, the New Mexico Legislature is likely to convene to hash out differences on the committee’s proposed legislative maps. The new “independent” process is a proposal set to “limit political influence over the once-a-decade drawing of district maps for Congress and the Legislature,” according to the Journal.

The redistricting panel bill passed in the last hours of the 2021 Legislature as a brokered deal between Democrat and Republican leaders to get the proposal to the finish line. 

Previously on a Zoom call with a left-wing group, Retake Our Democracy, Egolf blasted the idea of an independent redistricting commission, saying, “I think that it puts at unacceptable peril a woman’s right to choose, environmental protection, fairness in taxation.” He added, “It puts at tremendous peril all of the progressive causes that we care about.”

During a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Speaker Egolf continually whined about Republicans “casting aspersions” that he did not want a fair redistricting process, demanding an apology from Republicans, including GOP Leader Jim Townsend (R-Chaves, Eddy, and Otero). He did not end up getting one, as Egolf has constantly worked to favor Democrats in the redistricting process and only recently joined Sen. Ivey-Soto’s last-ditch redistricting bill to install a more political way of redrawing district maps. After the meeting, Rep. Stefani Lord (R-Bernalillo, Sandoval & Santa Fe) wrote, “We will NEVER apologize for standing up for the people of New Mexico!” 

Pro-energy group slams Gov. MLG’s ‘hypocrisy’ with ‘green agenda’

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This week, embattled Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced her intention to run for governor in 2022 to the chagrin of New Mexicans who have seen her repeatedly embarrass them on the nation stage time and time again with her scandal-ridden administration.

But during her announcement speech, which was drowned out by anti-MLG protesters, she once again touted her extreme “green agenda,” notably legislative Democrats’ Energy Transition Act, New Mexico’s very own “Green New Deal.” 

She said New Mexico is moving toward a “carbon-free energy system,” which the pro-energy group Power The Future calls “hypocrisy.” 

“There’s only one problem, her own green agenda was failing at that very moment. During her remarks, the utility that provides power to the site of her event reported only 6% of its power was coming from renewable resources,” wrote the group.

“The Governor often celebrates her mini–Green New Deal, but she ignores the fact her own law called for 20 percent renewable power by 2020 and not a single New Mexico utility met that standard. In fact, her own reelection announcement didn’t meet the standard.” 

The group concluded, “It appears the only renewable resource that can truly power the eco-left is hypocrisy.” 

Throughout her administration, Lujan Grisham has repeatedly rammed down New Mexicans’ throats her anti-energy agenda, which has led to the loss of countless jobs, especially in the Navajo Nation with the closure of PNM’s plants in the area.

During Lujan Grisham’s “virtual” speech in front of the 2020 Democrat National Convention, Lujan Grisham claimed “climate change” is the true “existential crisis.” 

Thankfully, Anthony Fauci didn’t delete his emails like Gov. Lujan Grisham

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Anthony Fauci’s emails have been released, and they tell an interesting tale about the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. One particular email stood out to me from Fauci to Sylvia Burwell discussing masks.

Within the body of the email, Fauci asserts that the use of masks in a public setting is generally to prevent infected individuals from spreading a virus. More specifically, he writes that the “typical mask you buy in the drug store is not really effective in keeping out virus, which is small enough to pass through the material.” This email was sent on February 5, 2020.

If the drug-store masks are ineffective, why were they forced on the general population for over a year? Did masks help contain the spread of COVID-19 at all? What else do we not know?

But I’m not here to argue about the efficacy of masks and Fauci’s handling of the pandemic. I’m here to emphasize the importance of why we are able to have this discussion today: open government and transparency.

Without access to these documents, the country might not have ever known to ask these questions. This is significant as we can analyze the events in early 2020 in a new light. Most importantly, we can hold individuals accountable if they recommended policies that were known not to be effective.

Here in New Mexico, we have a different ongoing dilemma, one that is also rooted in transparency. Thanks to the initial efforts of Searchlight New Mexico, the additional whistleblowers that have come forward since the initial Searchlight report, and some well-timed public records requests submitted by yours truly, we know that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and her administration are still actively depriving the people of New Mexico access to public documents through permanent and automatic deletion.

In January of this year, a directive from the governor’s office was implemented by the New Mexico Department of Information Technology: delete all messages after 24 hours. This directive came before the governor’s press secretary acknowledged the use of a creative new term: “transitory.”

The deleted messages were broadly considered “transitory” in nature, a definition that has already been debunked in the context of transparency and is not a qualified exception under the Inspection of Public Records Act (IPRA), New Mexico’s government transparency law.

“Transitory” messages have been unofficially described as “employee banter, routine check-ins between workers and other insignificant exchanges.” The rub is that they’re all public documents and subject to inspection requests, regardless of whatever “transitory” qualification they try to apply.

Fauci could have used the same term to describe his seemingly innocuous email to Burwell about masks. What if Fauci had deleted that email because it was “just transitory”? 

All this and the responses from Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office that there are “no records responsive to your request” underlines a seriously dangerous trend and contemptuous attitude within the Governor’s administration. The widespread and systematic “paper shredder” policy is nothing short of criminal.

New Mexico’s Attorney General agrees: “public bodies acquiring information should keep in mind that the records they keep generally are subject to public inspection.”

The governor’s press secretary Nora Sackett said that the governor takes transparency and open government “very seriously.” If that’s true, then Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration and all New Mexico state agencies should shed their cloaks of secrecy and immediately stop the destruction of public documents.

This is a clear assault on the people’s ability to keep a watchful eye on their elected government and should be alarming to everyone, especially those who care for our democracy.

And remember, democracy dies in darkness.

After claiming she will not be ‘intimidated,’ Gov. MLG cancels event in fear of ‘lizard people’

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To say embattled Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s campaign reelection bid has had a rocky start is an understatement. After a tumultuous, scandal-ridden tenure as chief executive, Lujan Grisham is facing swaths of protesters at her campaign events.

During her reelection announcement event, Lujan Grisham and other speakers were drowned out by anti-MLG protesters fed up with the governor’s handling of the pandemic and her abuses of power while serving in her role. The protesters were regular, everyday New Mexicans, including retired teachers and nurses, who were using their free time to make their voices heard. 

Frustrated by the protesters, Lujan Grisham bashed them as “QAnon lizard people,” a sentiment comparable to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s “basket of deplorables,” Joe Biden’s “chumps,” or Peter Strzok’s “ignorant hillbillies” comments. 

While running for election in 2018, Lujan Grisham made similar comments toward rural New Mexicans, bashing people who live in Deming. She said, “I met a woman in Deming. Her name is Gladys. So she’s not—she wasn’t born in New Mexico. But she chose New Mexico, and she chose Deming! I know… I didn’t mean that to be…” 

Now, after all of this, New Mexicans are fighting back against Lujan Grisham, not just at her re-election speech, but everywhere, including all her stops on the campaign trail. Protesters showed up at the Governor’s Friday event in Taos to protest.

At her very short reelection speech, the Governor said, “We’re going to do what we do best. We’re going to protect New Mexico, and no amount of noise will deter, intimidate or create a vacuum in leadership that makes a difference for every single New Mexican this day and every day. Can’t be done. Can’t be done.”

There was also another event scheduled at the Santa Claran in Española — an area of the state she bashed — but it was canceled due to “security concerns,” which means that despite Lujan Grisham’s comment that she will not be “intimidated,” she was. 

Lujan Grisham’s spokeswoman Kendall Witmer said, “These protesters berated supporters with violent and racist language and stalked and intimidated press and event staff.” All of these statements are untrue, per photographs and videos taken at the reelection announcement venue. 

Lujan Grisham faces a tough reelection campaign as strong Republican challengers have already emerged, including Sandoval County Commissioner Jay Block and businesswoman Karen Bedonie. 

Forest Service smokejumper who battled Hidalgo County fire passes away

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In May, the Piñon Post reported on a firefighter being rushed to intensive care after being injured while battling a forest fire in Hidalgo County. 

In a tragic turn of events, the U.S. Forest Service has announced on Thursday that the firefighter, Forest Service Smokejumper Tim Hart had passed away from his injuries.

“I am deeply saddened to share that Tim Hart, a Forest Service Smokejumper, has died from injuries sustained on May 24 while responding to the Eicks Fire in Hildago County, New Mexico. Our hearts go out to Tim’s family, loved ones, friends, fellow Forest Service employees, and the entire wildland fire community and I ask that you keep them in your thoughts and prayers during this time of sorrow while respecting the family’s privacy,” wrote Chief Vicki Christiansen.

Congresswoman Yvette Herrell of New Mexico’s Second Congressional District, which encompasses Hidalgo County, wrote on Twitter following the news, “Saddened to hear U.S. Forest Service Smokejumper Tim Hart passed away from injuries he sustained last week while responding to the Eicks Fire in Hildago County. My prayers are with his family, friends, and colleagues.” 

U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) issued a statement in response to Hart’s death:

“I am saddened to hear of the passing of Tim Hart. Cindy and I will be praying for his family and the whole wildland fire community in this difficult time,” Daines said. “Tim bravely served as a West Yellowstone Smokejumper and protected communities from devastating wildfires. I’m thankful for his service.”

The Forest Service said memorial service information is not yet available and to check this link for further information: https://www.fs.usda.gov/custergallatin

MLG’s reelection bid goes south as she bizarrely calls protesters drowning her out ‘lizard people’

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On Thursday, embattled first-term Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham held her reelection announcement in Albuquerque at the Albuquerque Museum, where she was met with scores of protesters fed up with her extreme agenda, including locking down the state and pushing inoculations upon New Mexicans.

The protest, which was co-hosted by multiple New Mexico activists, included signs reading things like “No Crotch Grabbing Gov,” “MLG is deeply mediocre and dumb,” and “Alexa, new governor please,” among others. 

The protesters drowned out multiple speakers’ speeches, including Democrat Rep. Teresa Leger de Fernandez (CD-3), Democrat Party of New Mexico chair Jessica Velasquez, and Rep-elect Melanie Stansbury (CD-1). 

Once Lujan Grisham took the stage, the protesters with their bull horns got louder and louder, drowning out the scandal-ridden governor’s speech. 

In frustration, Lujan Grisham made a cringe-inducing comment, claiming the protesters were “lizard people.”

She said, “I just have to say I’m sorry that we picked the same location that the QAnon lizard people meeting was at.” 

“We’re going to do what we do best. We’re going to protect New Mexico, and no amount of noise will deter, intimidate or create a vacuum in leadership that makes a difference for every single New Mexican this day and every day,” Lujan Grisham said despite her reign as governor, which has decimated countless New Mexicans 

Lujan Grisham was forced to cut her speech extremely short since the protesters successfully drowned her out. 

Her controversy-driven tenure as governor has been marked with scandal after scandal after scandal. From forcing through the most far-left extreme bills through the Legislature to paying off sexual accusers and her own daughter with campaign cash, and then “misplacing” $250 million in Workforce Solutions money, she has weakened her chance of reelection day after day. 

She repeatedly skirted her pandemic rules to buy luxury jewelry, used taxpayer funds for fine wine and $200/lb Wagyu beef steaks, berated local communities for not following her edicts, forced New Mexicans to stand in cold bread lines to get food and basic goods, fined churches and businesses tens of thousands of dollars for alleged non-compliance, removed the National Guard from the border and denied an immigration crisis, fired and hired cabinet secretaries on a dime, gave her staff hefty raises while New Mexicans lost everything, and she is giving away $10 million of New Mexicans’ dollars through a “lottery” to bribe people to take the experimental virus inoculation.

At Lujan Grisham’s next campaign stop at the John Dunn Shop in Taos on Friday at 8:00 a.m., protesters will be there to “greet” the embattled governor as she tries to run for a second term in the Governor’s Mansion. Protesters will also be in Española at the Santa Claran Hotel Casino on 460 N Riverside Dr, at 11:30 to protest the Governor.

For more information about Friday’s protest, contact Leanna Derrick from Call to Action NM at calltoactionnm@gmail.com.

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