Alex Ross
El Rito Media
aross@elritomedia.com

A southeastern New Mexico lawmaker’s proposal to impose a tax on renewable energy produced within the state was blocked by a committee of lawmakers.

Following a half-hour of discussion and comments from the public, the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee voted 6-4 on Tuesday, Jan. 27 to table House Bill 113.

The committee would need to take a separate vote on the bill to bring it back off the table, and reconsider advancing the legislation. Legislation must pass at least two committees in the chamber where it originates before going before the full body.

After gaining such approval via a floor vote, the bill would head to the other chamber for similar approvals before being signed into law or vetoed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

The vote to table HB 113, preventing it from continuing in the process, broke down along party lines with all Democrats on the committee supporting the motion.

HB 113 was introduced by Rep. John Block (R-51) of Alamogordo and would have levied a monthly tax of 3.75% of the value per megawatt-hour of electricity generated in New Mexico from solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric and geothermal sources.

According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a megawatt-hour is “a unit of energy equal to 1,000 kilowatts of energy used continuously for one hour.”

The U.S Energy Information Administration reports that in 2022 the average residential electric utility customer purchased 899 kilowatt hours of electricity a month, which is equal to 0.899 megawatt hours.

Proceeds from the tax would go into the Severance Tax Permanent Fund, a fund composed of taxes assessed on the value of oil and natural gas extracted from land in New Mexico. Those funds are managed by the State Investment Council, with a portion of its earnings sent into the General Fund annually to support state spending.

Block, who described himself as an “all-of-the-above energy type of guy” said his proposed renewable energy tax is meant to offset revenue from oil and gas taxes he said could be lost as the state moves towards an economy where renewable energy assumes a larger role.

He said that his bill would make renewable producers “pay their fair share,” compared with taxes already paid by oil and gas producers.

“The purpose is not to stop renewable development, but to ensure that as New Mexico’s energy economy evolves, our Permanent Fund savings and long-term stability will evolve with it,” Block said.

HB 113 contained exemptions for renewable energy produced in New Mexico by the federal government, the state of New Mexico and its subdivisions and activities and by any Indian nation, tribe or pueblo on sovereign territory.

Electricity from renewable sources for personal use, including excess energy of less than 500 kilowatt-hours in a 24-hour time frame, would also not be subject to the tax.

In all, 51% of electricity generated in New Mexico comes from renewable sources., according to an analysis provided by the Department of Taxation and Revenue. An estimated 4% of that energy would be exempted from the tax, read the report.

Critics of the bill voiced concern about the tax, arguing it would be a reversal of the state’s yearslong policy of encouraging production for renewables through tax credits and other incentives.

“This bill sends the wrong signal to developers, just as we’re trying to expand our renewable energy economy and move away from our dependence on fossil fuels,” said Michelle Chavez, a member of the audience during the public comment portion of the hearing.

AnnaLinden Weller, a senior policy advisor for clean energy at environmental group Western Resource Advocates said the cost of the tax would be passed onto consumers, with those from low-income households being hit the hardest.

“Really this is a way of halting a great deal of development for our state to achieve a small amount of revenue that is mostly extracted from our poorest residents,” she said.

But Republicans on the committee believed that at some point the renewable energy industry needs to start paying more in taxes, comparing the growing industry with fossil fuels.

Rep. Mark Murphy (R-59) of Roswell, the president of an oil producer Strata Production Company voted against tabling HB 113.

He said New Mexico’s budgets have grown dramatically in recent years, but projections of the amount of oil and gas revenues are projected to decline as the state and other energy markets shift toward more renewable power.

“I think long term, it’s going to become very important for us in the state to find these funding mechanisms, or we’re going to have some real budget issues,” Murphy said.

Legislative reporter Alex Ross can be followed on X @alexrosstweets.

Photos by Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

Local children flock to Living Desert Zoo for resident black bear’s birthday party

Maggie the Bear mostly kept to herself during her 21st birthday party held Saturday, Jan. 17 at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State park.

A crowd gathered at the black bear’s enclosure during the party where she receives her annual present, an edible box filled with nuts and fruit.

Traditionally attendees get a glimpse of the massive animal’s power as she tears into the treat.

This year, Maggie chose to remain in a corner of the enclosure out of site of most of the attendees except to walk to the center, grab the present in her jaws and walk back.

Local children eagerly waiting their glimpse of the 360-pound bear received some solace in the zoo’s Visitor Center where they designed paper bear masks and other crafts, while enjoying birthday cake provided by zoo staff.

Alex Ross
El Rito Media
aross@elritomedia.com

State Rep. Jimmy Mason (R-66) of Artesia announced Monday that he will not run for reelection later this year.

Mason, whose district includes parts of Chaves, Eddy and Lea counties, revealed his plans in a post on his Facebook page, but insisted that he will finish out his current term, which ends Dec. 31, 2026.

New Mexico state representatives serve two-year terms. Mason was first elected in 2022 and reelected in 2024.

Mason was unopposed in the Republican primary and prevailed over Andrew Kennedy, a Libertarian, receiving 81% of the vote in the 2022 General Election. In 2024, Manson was reelected both in the Republican primary and general election without opposition.

He owns clothing store Bennie’s Western Wear, with locations in Artesia and Carlsbad.

“Serving the people of District 66 has been an honor. While I have decided not to run again, my responsibility to the people I represent remains unchanged. I will continue to do the work I was elected to do up to and through the final day of my term,” Mason’s statement read.

In the House Mason is currently the top Republican on the House Commerce and Economic Development Committee and is a member of the House Rural Development, Land Grants and Cultural Affairs Committee.

At least one contender, Trinidad Malone of Artesia, is looking to succeed Mason.

Malone, who confirmed to El Rito Media on Wednesday that he is a Republican, began posting about his candidacy on Jan 18. A military veteran and business owner, Malone wrote in a Jan. 20 Facebook post that he is running for the seat “to gain an inside understanding of how the legislative process works so he can educate and inform others about how government works, what is being pursued, and why civic engagement matters.”

The deadline to file petitions to appear on the ballot in the June 2 Democratic or Republican primary is Feb. 3.

Legislative reporter Alex Ross can be followed on X @alexrosstweets.

Laurel Berry
Carlsbad Current-Argus

Danette Lale believes that it was fate that brought her and David Whickham together. The real estate investor from Issaquah, Washington, was looking for a new venture.

Whickham, retired from the Air Force and from Civil Service, was also looking to retire from wine making. So, Lale bought Whickham’s Tularosa Vineyards and, under his tutelage, has spent the last three years learning the wine business, from vines to competitions.

The pair gathered friends and family at the vineyard tasting room to celebrate Whickham’s 89th birthday on Jan. 16, uncorking a new wine created especially for the occasion, the 01.16 G.O.A.T.

“I really feel like it was divine intervention that got Dave and me together,” said Lale.

Whickham shares his birth date with Lale’s son as well as her granddaughter. And, since Lale had no previous experience with viticulture, Whickham has stuck around to show her how it’s done.

“He’s always on the tractor and he’s a good mentor,” Lale said. “He has a saying that a good wine is made in the vineyard, tending the vines, and that’s what he does. Together, he and I have pruned all three acres of grapevines, just the two of us.”

A large monitor in the tasting room acts as a digital photo frame showing the two at work among those vines, which are Mission grapes, the ancestry of which date back to when the Spanish missionaries arrived in New Mexico to build their churches.

Whickham swirls his birthday wine in his glass as he shares the origin story of his vines.

“A friend of mine in La Luz, Paul Gordon, told me about these grapes that people were growing in their yards. They were even growing wild along the water ditches.” He pointed out the large metal bucket that he used to collect those wild grapes in when he was first starting to make wine. It has a place of honor in the tasting room.

“I knew I wanted to start a vineyard and make enough wine to sell but I wasn’t interested in those Mission grapes at first because they aren’t Cabernet or Sauvignon, you know? But that first batch of wine I made, and it was just a few bottles, was so good I changed my mind.”

The vines were propagated and sent to the University of California, Davis, for DNA analysis, which verified that the original grapes were planted in 1629.

“That’s a hundred years before the Spanish missionaries planted the grapes in California. New Mexico has been growing these grapes all this time.” The Mission grapes are well acclimated to grow at an elevation of around 4000 feet. “They are still growing them in Spain, in the Canary Islands,” Whickham said.

And it all started with a class Whickham took at New Mexico State University, the same course that Lale would eventually take at Whickham’s behest.

Whickham went on to become the state president of the New Mexico Wine Growers Association.

The wine that Tularosa Vineyards makes from these grapes has proven popular.

“Our Black Muscat is our most awarded,” said Lale. “It won a gold medal in 2025 at the Texas Wine competition and silver at the Fingerlakes competition, which includes 750 entrants from 13 countries.”

A happy accident is perhaps the reason why the wine was such a hit.

“The previous year’s Black Muscat was 18 brix, which is a measure of how much sugar is in it. The longer the grapes are on the vine the higher the sugar content. Well, I didn’t have enough help harvesting the grapes and they sat on the vine longer than I planned on so they ended up with 25 brix and it was so good that we started harvesting the grapes later.”

Indeed, the Muscat is on the sweeter side, compared with their Tularosa Vineyards Table Wine, which is also made from the Mission grapes.

“People see the Table Wine on the label and think that it’s a lesser wine, but that’s not what it means. It’s referring to the alcohol content, which can be anywhere from five to 16%. Anything higher than 16 is dessert wine.”

As guests arrived for his birthday party Whickham and Lale offered glasses of his G.O.A.T wine, which is a blend of the Muscat wine and Mission grapes and features a Capricorn goat on the label. They then settled into chairs on the patio to enjoy the entertainment provided by local musician Michael Gutierrez and food from the Tularosa Taco truck.

From the grapes to guests to music, the party had the flavor of Tularosa woven through it and was a suitable nod to the successful passing of the torch from one winemaker to the next.