Oil and gas lease exemption isn’t needed
Iam alarmed that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is pushing for an exemption from the Biden administration’s pause on new oil and gas leasing on federal lands. An exemption would be detrimental to local communities, our natural heritage and the future of our planet. The governor is a grandmother now, and I believe she wants to protect our Earth for her grandchildren and all of our children. New Mexico should not be exempted from federal climate mandates.
Lujan Grisham has shown national leadership on renewable energy, however building more solar panels alone will not solve our climate crisis; we must also systematically draw down our emissions.
In accordance with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, the United States will need to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030. To reach this goal, all states should be part of Biden’s plan for reducing emissions.
A moratorium on fracking leases on public lands is a first step to drawing down emissions, but it will not halt industry. In New Mexico, there are 60,000 active oil and gas wells, with more than 31,000 wells on federal public lands. In the Trump era, the oil and gas industry stockpiled 5,000 new, but unused, federal drilling permits. They will take years for industry to extract. Biden’s proposed moratorium will not stop production from wells on already-leased lands. So the oil and gas industry’s fearmongering is unfounded.
Greenhouse gas emissions lead to hotter and drier weather in the Southwest. The last decade has been the hottest ever recorded. In 2021, New Mexico is heading into a severe, historic drought. Large portions of the Rio Grande will run dry, and farmers have been asked not to plant. Even in the face of this local crisis, New Mexican politicians are not passing climate legislation. Many are still protecting the interests of oil and gas corporations. It is time to protect our water, air and lands for our communities.
As a mother, I am painfully aware of our dwindling carbon budget, before we hit catastrophic climate tipping points. We have the chance now to draw down emissions and protect our Earth. Now is the time for bold leadership and ambitious solutions to address climate. I am calling on the governor and our elected officials to join with the Biden administration and our new secretary of the interior, Deb Haaland, in protecting our public lands and curbing our greenhouse emissions.