Gordon has reminded us that Divine Providence played a cruel trick of climate and geology by putting so much petroleum and natural gas in the Gulf of Mexico.
It’s the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, and Tropical Storm Gordon — fortunately, a cyclone that packed far less of a wallop — is fading away. According to the American Petroleum Institute, the industry’s “experiences last year help guide readiness this year,” with safety topping “the list of readiness goals — to protect our employees, vital infrastructure and neighboring communities while also having specific plans in place to restart facilities and help restore fuel supplies if there are disruptions.”
The situation in the Gulf has nearly nothing in common with hydrocarbon-production in the Land of Enchantment. As The New York Times reported in 2011, New Mexico is not afflicted by severe weather, and our seismology is usually quite calm.
Zero hurricanes, light tornadic activity, few earthquakes, no active volcanoes, a dearth of mudslides, and perhaps best of all, no blizzards — that’s good news for the oil-and-gas industry here.
Quite a lot is said and written about New Mexico’s susceptibility to the volatile revenue produced from energy commodities traded on a global market. It’s a legitimate concern, but thankfully, Mother Nature keeps the state safe from the trouble it causes other energy-rich regions. It’s an inherent advantage — one of several that the Land of Enchantment enjoys. So why not add some smart policymaking, and finally get the state out of its economic doldrums?
NM is about to get richer than it has ever been because of Permian production levels and will most likely stay that way for some time, possibly decades. Yet, you won’t hear a single D in SF, or Washington for that matter, be thankful to the industry or people who make it happen. Go figure.