Group claims oil industry leaders promote ‘fear mongering’
By ASHLEY TRUJILLO
Daily Press Staff Writer
A senior policy advisor with a group proposing a cap on greenhouse gas emissions in New Mexico said Tuesday that oil and gas industry leaders opposing the plan are misleading and scaring the public in order to rally opposition.
The group, New Energy Economy (NEE), is proposing a three percent cut on emissions over the next two years, and says that Navajo Refining and Holly Corporation President Dave Lamp’s recent testimony that warned of the likelihood that the company would terminate its New Mexico operations if such a cap were implemented serves as little more than a veiled threat.
“They are using fear mongering techniques,” Mariel Nanasi, NEE senior policy advisor, said. “Ask the leadership to look at how much profit Navajo made last year.”
Nanasi claims that profits from oil and gas companies like Navajo are substantial enough that the companies would not be greatly affected by a cap rule.
“It’s easy to slap a label of fear mongering onto opposition,” Lamp said through a spokesperson on Wednesday. “We are looking at it from a business standpoint. It doesn’t look like we can currently achieve this.”
State Rep. Bill Gray also took exception to the NEE’s claims, saying they are an example of “extreme environmentalist baloney.” … For the rest of the story, subscribe in print and on the web.
