Let’s transition New Mexico’s economy to unicorn farts!

One of the great joys (and frustrations) of running the Rio Grande Foundation is laughing at environmental advocates who make audacious (and very non-specific) claims about “transitioning” from oil and gas to some other basis for New Mexico’s economy (not to mention the world’s energy demands).

The latest contestant in this game is Thomas Singer of the Western Environmental Law Center writing in the Albuquerque Journal. Singer (with degrees from Harvard, Stanford, and George Washington) accurately notes that New Mexico is poorly run (he fails to mention that it has been “progressive” Democrats for decades) and too reliant on oil and gas, but his path to wean New Mexico off of oil and gas is laughable.

His “solutions include” some unspecified recommendations of the “Sustainable Economy Task Force.”

Using state funds to leverage Inflation Reduction Act funds.

“Diversify and strengthen our state’s revenue base away from its current dependence on volatile, boom-and-bust oil and gas” with zero specifics.

Eliminating supposed tax subsidies to oil and gas (again, undefined and there are real questions as to what actual “subsidies” are given to oil and gas.

The problem for these leftists is that REAL solutions to diversifying New Mexico’s economy are politically-unpalatable to the political left which is populated by so-called environmentalists like Singer. New Mexico COULD use its oil and gas wealth (including massive permanent funds) to reduce taxes and bring new businesses to the State, embrace educational choice to improve our lagging workforce, and embrace “right to work” and other necessary, pro-free market labor reforms.

Sadly, the only thing more unrealistic than the so-called “energy transition” is the willingness of New Mexico’s left to reduce their control over New Mexico’s economy.