Photos by Adrian Hedden

Ahead of the June 2 Primary Election in New Mexico, a gathering of Republican leaders and candidates met in Artesia, March 18, 2026 at Kith and Kin.

In attendance were gubernatorial candidate Doug Turner, Lt. governor candidate David Gallegos, candidate for U.S. Representative Gregory Cunningham, State Sen. Jim Townsend (R-34) and State Reps. Jon Henry (R-54) and Cathrynn Brown (R-55).

Both Republican and Democratic voters will select their nominees in the Primary Election, to go onto the General Election against the opposing party to win the post.

At the Artesia gathering, candidates expressed a need for rural conservative areas in the southeast region of New Mexico to “get out” and vote to overcome ballots from the more densely-populated, Democrat-leaning urban areas of the state.

Check back later with artesianews.com for more coverage on the event.

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press
achedden@currentargus.com

More state funds will go toward cleaning up abandoned oil wells after a bill was signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

House Bill 80 increased the portion of New Mexico’s oil and gas conservation tax that goes to the state’s Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund. The tax is paid by fossil fuel operators as a percentage of their proceeds.

HB 80 was signed into law by Lujan Grisham on March 9 after passing the New Mexico House and Senate unanimously during the 2026 legislative session, which ended Feb. 19.

The Oil and Gas Reclamation Fund is used to pay for cleanup of inactive oil and gas wells, which are often abandoned by operators when they become financially nonviable, or the owners go bankrupt.

New Mexico was estimated to have about 1,700 such wells throughout both of the state’s oil and gas regions, the southeast Permian Basin oilfields and the northwest San Juan Basin, according to a June 2025 report by the Legislative Finance Committee.

When state regulators identify an inactive well and no owner is liable or able to be contacted the well is deemed “orphaned” by New Mexico’s Oil Conservation Division, meaning the state must pay to plug the well.

To plug all the wells deemed “orphaned” in New Mexico would cost about $208 million, read the finance committee report, and another $468 million for the 1,400 inactive wells not yet deemed orphaned.

When also considering all low-producing wells likely to become abandoned soon, the reported estimated New Mexico’s total well-plugging liability at $700 million to $1.6 billion.

HB 80 increases the amount of the oil conservation tax going to the reclamation fund to 50% in 2027, then to 75% in 2028 and to 100% by 2029 until 2037 when the portion reverts to 50% permanently.

Currently, when oil and gas prices dip below $70 per barrel of oil equivalent, the tax is 0.19% per barrel, with 10.5% going to the reclamation fund and the rest to the state’s general fund.

At more than $70 a barrel, the tax climbs to 0.24% a barrel with 19.7% going to the fund. HB 80 would not alter the tax rate, only the percentage of the revenue sent to the reclamation fund.

Based on projections of state oil prices included in a Legislative Finance Committee analysis published Feb. 5, the bill will generate annual revenue of $46.5 million for the reclamation fund by Fiscal Year 2028, increasing to $76.5 million by FY 2029 and to $108.7 million by FY 2030.

The bill was sponsored by a bipartisan group of New Mexico representatives including Rep. Mark Murphy (R-59) of Roswell and Rep. Debra Sarinana (D-21) of Albuquerque.

New Mexico’s oil and gas industry leaders applauded HB 80 as a solution to the state’s struggles to clean up the wells.

Missi Currier, president of trade organization the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said the bill balanced economic and environmental needs of the state for an industry she noted provides about 40% of the state’s revenue.

“At a time when the world is reminded just how fragile and volatile global energy supply can be, New Mexico’s producers offer something rare: steady, responsible, homegrown energy that funds our schools, our transportation systems, our health care, and our communities,” Currier said in a statement.

“Gov. Lujan Grisham’s signing of HB 80 is an investment in that stability – and in every New Mexican who benefits from it.”

New Mexico Rep. Cathrynn Brown (R-55) of Carlsbad said she supported the bill because it requires that state money intended for plugging abandoned oil wells be used to do so.

She said the reclamation fund was originally created to pay for the work, but in recent years money in the fund was diverted for a variety of other spending initiatives largely led by Democrats in the Legislature.

With the funding restored, Brown said, the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division should next create an inventory of all abandoned wells in the state and begin plugging them as money comes into the reclamation fund.

“That never should have happened,” Brown said. “This is what the money was intended for. This gives the Oil Conservation Division more to work with.”

And as oil and gas production grows, Brown said, the problem of abandoned wells would likely be mitigated by increased regulations and tougher requirements to drill for oil and gas in New Mexico.

“I think it’s a vestige mostly of the past,” she said. “Regulations have become more stringent. Oil and gas companies are, on the whole, being more responsible.”

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Photos by Mike Smith, Artesia Daily Press

Spring break is this week for kids in the Artesia Public Schools and Monday night at the Artesia Public Library both sides squared for a friendly competition of capture the Bulldog.

Further details coming Wednesday to artesianews.com and in Thursday’s newspaper.

Artesia Police Sgt. David Bailey readies his Nerf gun in a friendly game at the Artesia Public Library Monday night.

Adrian Hedden

Artesia Daily Press

ahedden@elritomedia.com

An Artesia-based lawsuit aiming to overturn state requirements for electric vehicle charging capacity at new buildings throughout New Mexico was dismissed in district court.

The suit was filed by the Artesia Recreation Center Foundation in January 2025, arguing the rules were unfairly delaying construction and driving up the cost of a recreation center in the northern Eddy County city.

The organization said the requirements, intended to ensure all new buildings and homes in New Mexico have power capacity for EV chargers, increased the cost of Artesia’s upcoming recreation center by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But Fifth Judicial District Judge David Finger issued an opinion Feb. 5 that found the state of New Mexico through its Construction Industries Division – a subsidiary of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department – had the authority to issue the new rules and that the recreation center was obligated to follow them.

The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department (NMRLD) is a cabinet agency within the state’s administration tasked with regulating building codes and permitting. The head of the department is Superintendent Clay Bailey, who was appointed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

Finger dismissed the case against the state by granting a summary judgment requested by the defendant, which means the judge ruled on the case before it could go to trial, dismissing the plaintiff’s accusations and bringing an end to the litigation in district court. A trial slated for April 13 was canceled with the ruling.

A notice of appeal to the New Mexico Supreme Court was filed by the Recreation Center Foundation on March 9. The Supreme Court could affirm Finger’s decision or overturn the District Court’s ruling, either vacating the rules or resuming plans for a trial.

As of Friday, March 13, the appeal was yet to be filed in Supreme Court.

The recreation center project began in the summer of 2023 when the foundation was formed as a nonprofit organization to raise funds for the work, and before the EV rules went into effect July 30, 2024.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held Oct. 29, 2024, and the final building permit application to the Construction Industries Division was filed Nov. 22, 2024, months after the rules took effect.

That’s why the state denied the initial building permit. Another application was filed to comply with the EV rules in December 2024, and the permit was issued Jan. 13, 2025.

“Plaintiff’s project thereafter proceeded to construction without interruption, citation, penalty or enforcement action by CID,” read Finger’s ruling. “The record reflects no regulatory impediment beyond the ordinary denial of the first, noncompliant submission.”

Additional costs associated with the EV rules totaled about $285,000, according to a foundation news release issued Jan. 28.

The added cost was for 12 EV-ready parking spots, the release read, and 24 more capable of being converted to accommodate chargers in the future, which the foundation argued would result in more unfair expense.

“These were charitable dollars meant to build a better recreation center for our community,” said Sandra Borges, president of the foundation. “Instead, they were redirected to comply with a mandate that provides no real benefit here – and may never be used.”

Donors for the rec center project are: PY Foundation, Chase Foundation, TLC Foundation, Frank Yates Jr. Family Foundation, Western Bank, Royal Services, First American Bank and Devon Energy.

Artesia is situated in rural southeast New Mexico, known for its oil and gas fields and ranching. Motorists often drive long distances to access services such as medical care, meaning to local leaders that electric vehicles are incompatible with the area’s way of life.

That’s why locals argued that the 36 electric vehicle spots the regulations required at the Artesia Recreation Center, which is under construction next to the Artesia Aquatic Center, were unnecessary and unduly “burdensome” to the $35 million-plus project.

The Artesia City Council voted unanimously Aug. 13 to oppose the regulations, and the Carlsbad City Council followed suit Aug. 27.

Similar resolutions were passed by the Hobbs City Commission on Aug. 5, by the Eddy County Commission on Aug. 17, and by the Lea County Commission on Aug. 22.

“This is a clear example of a one-size-fits-all mandate overriding local decision-making,” said Scott Taylor, a member of the Artesia Recreation Center Foundation. “Communities are being forced to spend scarce dollars on infrastructure they don’t need, while real needs go unmet.”

The Construction Industries Division said the rules were necessary to support what the agency believed was growing demand for electric vehicles throughout New Mexico – even in the state’s rural, southeast region.

“These regulations are a key component of New Mexico’s commitment to modernizing our infrastructure and providing residents with greater access to energy-efficient technologies within their communities,” read an emailed statement from Andrea Brown, spokesperson for the Regulation and Licensing Division.

“As far as next steps, the division will maintain the status quo by continuing to enforce and implement the building codes as we have since their adoption in 2024.”

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press
achedden@currentargus.com

New Mexico Democrats, Republicans hold pre-primary conventions in Ruidoso

Candidates for statewide political races were chosen for the June primary election by Republicans and Democrats during dueling pre-primary conventions held Saturday, March 7, in the Ruidoso area.

New Mexico state law requires that major parties – Democratic and GOP – hold pre-primary conventions during election years ahead of the primary election, where voters from each party select their nominees for offices to be decided in the November general election.

During the convention, delegates from each party vote for each nominee, with candidates receiving at least 20% of the available votes guaranteed spots on the primary ballot.

Those who do not receive backing from their party at the convention must obtain a specific number of required signatures, equal to 2% of the eligible voters for the office in the last primary election, to qualify for the ballot.

This year’s primary election is June 2, while the general election in on Nov. 3.

Democrats held their convention at the Inn of the Mountain Gods, and Republican met at the Ruidoso Convention Center.

Reporters from El Rito Media were invited to attend the GOP convention but were told the voting process was “off the record,” while the Democrat convention was fully open to the public.

Spokesman for the New Mexico Democratic Party Daniel Garcia said the conventions running in the same town on the same day was a “coincidence.”

He said his party wanted to show support for the people of Ruidoso and Lincoln County as they recover from the South Fork and Salt fires that ripped through the area in 2024, burning 20,000 acres and causing at least three deaths.

Subsequent flooding recently caused Ruidoso Downs Race Track to move its racing season to the Downs at Albuquerque for the third year in a row and likely ended racing at the track permanently.

“We wanted to support the community and this region of the state,” Garcia said. “They’ve been through so much with the floods and fires recently and bringing more than 100 delegates here would bring a little money to the community and introduce people to a part of the state they haven’t seen yet.”

New Mexico Republican Party Chair Amy Barela, who is also an Otero County commissioner, said the convention showed that the GOP was ready to “take our state back.”

Democrats control both the Legislature and governor’s office, and Barela said the candidates approved at the convention would help the GOP flip seats in the House and Senate and potentially retake the governor’s office.

Current Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, was elected in 2018 and again in 2022. She is term-limited and cannot seek a third term. Meanwhile, the state’s U.S. Senate seat held by Ben Ray Lujan, all three of New Mexico’s U.S. House seats, and several state offices are on the ballot.

“The state of our party is incredibly strong. New Mexico Republicans are more unified than ever before, and we are committed to showing New Mexico voters why Republicans are worthy of their trust this November. It’s time we take our great state back,” Barela said.

Here’s who earned party backing at the pre-primary conventions:

U.S. Senate

Republicans

None

Democrats

Ben Ray Lujan, 866 votes

U.S. Representative, 1st Congressional District

Republicans

Ndidiamaka Okpareke, 98 votes

Democrats

Incumbent Melanie Stansbury, 415 votes

U.S. Representative, 2nd Congressional District

Republicans

Gregory Cunningham, 114 votes

Democrats

Incumbent Gabe Vasquez, 255 votes

U.S. Representative, 3rd Congressional District

Republicans

Martin Zamora, 167 votes

Democrats

Incumbent Teresa Leger Fernandez, 320 votes

Governor

Republicans

Gregory Hull, 239 votes

Doug Turner, 167 votes

Democrats

Deb Haaland, 733 votes

Sam Bregman, 264 votes

Lieutenant Governor

Republicans

David Gallegos, 278 votes

Democrats

Maggie Toulouse Oliver, 586 votes

Harold Pope, 418 votes

Secretary of State

Republicans

Ramona Goolsby, 408 votes

Democrats

Katharine Clark, 460 votes

Amanda Lopez Askin, 357 votes

Attorney General

Republicans

Samuel Kane, 412 votes

Democrats

Raul Torrez, 1,000 votes

Commissioner of Public Lands

Republicans

Michael Jack Perry, 414 votes

Democrats

Juan De Jesus Sanchez, 552 votes

Matthew McQueen, 366 votes

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.