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Energy industry says it’s leading on oil well plugging

Michael Smith
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Energy industry says it’s leading on oil well plugging

Bob Campbell
Lovington Leader

Abandoned oil and natural gas wells in New Mexico are being dealt with by the state’s energy industry more rapidly than government agencies, according to an oil and gas trade group.

The Santa Fe-based New Mexico Oil and Gas Association reported oil and gas operators have plugged over 90% of the wells decommissioned in the state in recent years.

NMOGA President Missi Currier said 451 wells were plugged by industry, compared to 49 by the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division — the state’s main energy industry compliance arm that plugs wells using public funds when they are abandoned.

“For every well plugged using public funds the oil and gas industry independently plugs 10 more without fanfare and without burdening New Mexico taxpayers,” Currier said.

And Currier noted that wells plugged by the state are funded through its Reclamation Fund, which oil companies pay into to allow for the remediation work.

“Let’s be clear: only tax dollars paid by the oil and gas industry are used to plug orphaned wells in New Mexico. Not a single cent comes from the pockets of New Mexico families,” Currier said.

She said about 34,000 of the about 69,000 active oil and gas wells generate state fees, and that only 349 of those, about 1%, are classified as “orphaned,” and industry term for abandoned.

“This is a testament to the industry’s commitment to responsible operations and long-term stewardship. “However, we know that 1% is still too many and the industry is committed to continuing our work with OCD to ensure the reduction of that number.

In 2022, Currier said, the Reclamation Fund held $21 million and by November 2024 that balance had grown to approximately $66 million thanks to increased federal support and continued contributions from the Conservation Tax directly from industry.

“But these funds are only effective if they’re deployed efficiently” she said. “Delays in procurement and administrative bottlenecks risk not only slowing progress but also jeopardizing future funding.”

Currier called on New Mexico’s government leaders to avoid sweeping the reclamation fund for other purposes, an ensure the money is use primarily for cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells.

“New Mexico’s leadership must prioritize using these dollars as intended on well plugging and site remediation, not diverting them to unrelated initiatives,” she said.

Currier said the energy industry supports modernizing the Reclamation Fund to ensure that it remains a sustainable, efficient tool for environmental protection.

“That means streamlining procurement, reducing administrative burdens and preserving the fund’s integrity for its intended purpose,” she said. “The oil and gas industry is proud to carry the responsibility of plugging and remediating wells.

“It’s a responsibility we take seriously, and one we’re already fulfilling. Let’s work together to ensure that the systems in place support this important work now and for generations to come.”

Opinion: Want to be a true patriot? Study the nation’s origin story

Michael Smith
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Opinion: Want to be a true patriot? Study the nation’s origin story

Mary Sanchez

In defense of President Donald Trump, most of us know scant details about the life of George Washington. Yet that didn’t stop him from invoking our first president to call for the death penalty against a group of Democrats who recently irked him.

Here’s Trump’s post on Truth Social: “HANG THEM, GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD!!” (The president wisely walked back the death penalty part in recent days.)

But he stuck with the call for punishment: “Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL.”

Here’s what got the president’s goat: Six members of Congress, all with military service records, reminded active service members of this fact via a video: They can refuse unlawful orders of military commanders.

Our military takes an oath to uphold the Constitution. They don’t take an oath to a dictator.

Nevertheless, Trump wants the Pentagon to find a way to court martial the ringleader of this perceived transgression, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a retired Navy Captain.

Others beholden to Trump are claiming that the six members of Congress are guilty of sedition. The charge is being made through lots of politically-tinged, verbal saber-rattling.

All of this back and forth is teeing up a perfect pitch for Ken Burns’ latest PBS series, a six-part deep look at the American Revolution. Burns has gone to great lengths in interviews not to speak in partisan terms about the series. He’s highly aware of our current political divides and tensions.

Burns and his co-directors know the importance of their project, coming on the eve of the nation’s 250 th anniversary.

Myths and half-truths about the nation’s founding are firmly embedded into American culture and our politics.

For most people, streaming even one segment of the series would be humbling. There is so much to absorb.

An array of professional historians are quoted. Countless writings of the era are cited, bringing a rich range of perspectives. There’s a rolling cadence to the storylines, unraveling facts and dissecting the nuances of how our nation came to be.

Worried about holding his army together, Washington did order executions of those he deemed disloyal to the cause. Our first president seemed to command respect, literally as well – he was about 6’3” in a period when most men were 5’7”.

He didn’t initially understand artillery, having been away from battlefields for 16 years.

He was reserved, an excellent horseman and chosen to lead the Continental Army not only due to his prior leadership during the French and Indian War, but partly because he was rich and from Virginia.

Washington derived his wealth from the labor of enslaved people that he owned, many of them through his marriage to the previously widowed Martha Washington.

Here are a few more snippets from the PBS series: Washington didn’t first see himself as a revolutionary. It’s a role that he grew toward as the battles progressed, as tensions with Britain escalated and hope faded for the colonists to win respect from England’s King George III.

And yet, our vision of who Washington was, moreover who qualifies as a patriot, has grown increasingly divided and often delusional in recent generations.

People often miss the fact that the American Revolution was a global effort; with France and Spain playing crucial roles. It’s also important for people to understand the diverse peoples involved.

Some conservatives have tried to poke holes in the series, accusing it of stretching the role of indigenous nations, of women and Black people, both freed and enslaved.

That view would disregard the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy of six indigenous nations on Benjamin Franklin, who understood the confederacy’s power to unify differing groups toward the common cause.

Burns was right to correct the national narrative, the wishful thinking of some who continue to think of the Revolutionary War as often depicted in paintings: white male colonists fighting the British red coats.

The truth was far more complicated, more like a civil war at times and in later years, fought primarily by people with the least resources, access to land and other property.

And yet, the colonies did come together, around ideals of what this new nation could be.

Here are some words from the first 10 minutes of the series: “The American Revolution was not just a clash between Englishmen over Indian land taxes and representation, but a bloody struggle that would engage more than two dozen nations, European as well as Native American, that also somehow came to be about the noblest aspirations of humankind.”

We ought to be proud of this, not divided by it.

Yet today, racist, homophobic, and anti-government groups like to organize into militia groups, envisioning themselves as akin to modern versions of the troops that Washington led.

But it’s a fair bet that those people, as well as Trump, and the millions who protested him during the recent No Kings protests do not have a firm grasp of the facts explored in the series.

People pound out their views on social media, to their families and friends, about who is a loyal American and who is not.

The litmus tests they use vary. But a good place to learn these facts might be at the beginning of our story. Because really, how can someone proclaim their love for the nation, without understanding how and why it was founded in the first place?

Arrests made, crimes reported to Artesia Police Department

Michael Smith
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Arrests made, crimes reported to Artesia Police Department

Nov. 19

Arrest

Luz Elena T. Aguirre arrested for abuse of a child, no great harm or death.

Joshua Corrales arrested for battery against a household member.

DISTURBANCE

12:01 am – Officer dispatched to 600 block of S. 4th St. in reference to disturbance.

SUSPICIOUS

12:05 am – Officer dispatched to 110 block of N. 6th St. in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

DOMESTIC

8:49 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to domestic.

STOLEN

10:07 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to a stolen vehicle.

SUSPICIOUS

11:05 am -Officer dispatched to S. 12th St. and W. Grand Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

WELFARE

4:39 pm – Officer dispatched to 1800 block of S. 26th St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

INCORRIGIBLE

5:03 pm – Officer dispatched to 2100 block of W. Currier St. in reference to an incorrigible child.

SUSPICIOUS

5:06 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 26th St. in reference to suspicious trespass.

DISTURBANCE

5:33 pm – Officer dispatched to 900 block of S. 10th St. in reference to disturbance.

DOMESTIC

7:25 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W. Washington Ave. in reference to verbal domestic.

SUSPICIOUS

9:01 pm – Officer dispatched to 200 block of S. 19th St. in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

DOMESTIC

10:26 pm – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of W. Mann Ave. in reference to domestic.

UNWANTED

11:19 pm – Officer dispatched to 500 block of W. James Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

Nov. 20

Arrest

Michael Rey Anthony Salinas arrested for battery against a household member, criminal damage to property, resisting, evading, obstructing an officer.

Denise Dawn Duran arrested for failure to appear.

UNWANTED

1:03 am – Officer dispatched to 900 block of N. 4th St. in reference to an unwanted subject.

WELFARE

8:34 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. Roselawn Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

8:53 am – Officer dispatched to 1300 block of W. Sears Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

LARCENY

9:50 am -Officer dispatched to 700 block of W. James Ave. in reference to larceny.

SUSPICIOUS

10:48 am – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Cannon Ave. in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

4:59 pm – Officer dispatched to 1500 block of W. Main St. in reference to suspicious activity.

WELFARE

5:25 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 20th St. and W. Grand Ave. in reference to the welfare of a child.

THREATS

6:31 pm – Officer dispatched to 1800 block of W. Feather in reference to threats.

UNWANTED

9:11 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richardson Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

9:32 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of N. 6th St. in reference to an unwanted subject.

Nov 21

Arrest

Luis Carlos Sotelo arrested for driving on a revoked license.

DOMESTIC

10:12 am – Officer dispatched to 1200 block of W. Yucca Ave. in reference to verbal domestic.

10:59 am – Officer dispatched to W. Bush Ave. and N. 13th St. in reference to domestic.

UNWANTED

2:35 pm – Officer dispatched to 200 block of W. Chisum Ave. in reference to an unwanted subject.

FRAUD

4:55 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of N. 26th St. in reference to fraud embezzlement.

SUSPICIOUS

6:33 pm – Officer dispatched to 1000 block of n. 5th St. in reference to suspicious activity.

DISTURBANCE

7:02 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to disturbance.

8:12 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to disturbance.

LOUD

9:15 pm – Officer dispatched to 700 block of N. 10th St. in reference to a loud noise.

SHOTS FIRED

9:41 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to shots fired in the area.

Nov 22

John Roberts Sipes arrested for disorderly conduct, assault on peace officer.

STOLEN

12:27 pm – Officer dispatched to 200 block of S. 19th St. in reference to a stolen vehicle.

FIGHT

1:54 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Gilchrist Ave. in reference to a fight in progress.

INCORRIGIBLE

2:47 pm – Officer dispatched to 1100 block of S. 4th St. in reference to an incorrigible child.

UNWANTED

3:36 pm – Officer dispatched to 3200 block of W. Main St. in reference to an unwanted subject.

WELFARE

3:45 pm – Officer dispatched to 800 block of W. Cleveland Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

7:45 pm – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of W. Gilchrist Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

DOMESTIC

8:49 pm – Officer dispatched to 300 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to verbal domestic.

LOUD

9:17 pm – Officer dispatched to S. 26th St. and W. Grand Ave. in reference to a loud party.

10:55 pm – Officer dispatched to 2800 block of W. Missouri Ave. in reference to loud noise.

Nov 23

Isaac Ray Ornelas arrested for battery against a household member, interference with communications, destroying, removing.

Brandon Blake Wilcox Riley arrested for driving while under the influence of intoxication liquor, driving on roadways laned for traffic, registration on demand.

SUSPICIOUS

12:32 am – Officer dispatched to S. 20th and W. Runyan Ave. in reference to a suspicious activity.

1:45 am – Officer dispatched  to the 2000 block of W. Mann Ave. in reference to a suspicious person.

WELFARE

1:05 pm – Officer dispatched to W. Mains St. and N. 41 St. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

ALARM

6:24 pm – Officer dispatched to 400 block of commerce Rd. in reference to a burglary alarm.

7:24 pm – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W. Quay Ave. in reference to a burglary alarm.

DOMESTIC

7:39 pm – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to physical domestic.

Nov. 24

VANDAL

10:17 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of N. Roselawn Ave. in reference to a vandal.

THREATS

10:53 am – Officer dispatched to 200 block of N. 13th Rural St. in reference to threats.

UNWANTED

11:15 am – Officer dispatched to 800 block of S. 2nd St. in reference to an unwanted subject.

SUSPICIOUS

11:28 am – Officer dispatched to 1900 block of W. Richey Ave. in reference to suspicious trespass.

WELFARE

11:33 am – Officer dispatched to 1400 block of Gilchrist Ave. in reference to the welfare of an adult.

ALARM

7:50 pm – Officer dispatched to 300 block of S. 4th St. in reference to an alarm.

Nov. 25

ALARM

12:25 am – Officer dispatched to 600 block of W. Hermosa Dr. in reference to a burglary alarm.

SUSPICIOUS

3:29 am – Officer dispatched to N. 5th St. and W. Chisum Ave. in reference to a suspicious vehicle.

NM ski resorts in holiday mode as visitors hit the slopes

Michael Smith
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NM ski resorts in holiday mode as visitors hit the slopes

Mike Smith

Artesia Daily Press

msmith@currentargus.com

New Mexico skiers sidelined since last spring were ready to hit the slopes as cooler temperatures started taking hold and the state’s ski areas started opening for business.

“Attendance was good,” said Christiana Hudson, marketing director for Sipapu Ski and Summer Area southeast of Taos where skiers took advantage of a two-foot base after the gates opened Nov. 21.

Christy Germscheid, executive director of trade group Ski New Mexico, said a flurry of openings brought action to the slopes over Thanksgiving weekend.

“Ski areas that planned to open, opened,” she said of resorts such as Ski Apache, Ski Santa Fe, Taos Ski Valley, and Red River Ski Area.

Thanksgiving skiers helped pack manmade and natural snowfall, Germscheid said.

Christmas holidays help bottom line

Visitors to New Mexico ski resorts during the winter holidays account for 25% of resorts’ business, Germscheid said, and that helps with operating expenses throughout the season.

“Christmas is just so critical in our ski industry,” she said. “There’s a hard-core loyal contingent that comes for the holidays.”

Germscheid said New Mexicans should head for the slopes before Christmas or after New Year’s to avoid out-of-state crowds that tend to visit during the heart of the holiday season.

“Crowds and lift lines are longer for visitors,” she said. “The kids are out of school.”

A 2018 study conducted by the New Mexico Partnership, a group dedicated to promoting economic development in the state, noted the ski industry generates $6 billion for the state’s economy and brings almost 30 million people to the Land of Enchantment during ski season.

Torches for skiers, cookies for Santa

And there’s more to do for the holiday ski crowd than just slicing down a mountainside, including torch parades and making sure the bearded man in red has snacks to munch on while he makes his rounds.

Torchlight parades at Red River start at 7 p.m. on Saturdays in December, according to the Village of Red River Visitor and Conference website.

Taos Ski Valley’s torchlight parade starts at 6 p.m. New Year’s Eve, followed by a fireworks display at 6:15 p.m., per the Taos Ski Valley Chamber of Commerce website.

“It’s really beautiful,” Germscheid said, describing the scene of skiers and snowboarders sliding down the hills with glowing torches in hand.

Taos Ski Valley also has a Christmas Eve cookies-for-Santa Claus event at Tenderfoot Katie’s restaurant with youngsters decorating Christmas cookies for jolly St. Nick as he delivers presents in the Taos community.

“It’s super fun for the kids,” Germscheid said.

Also on Christmas Eve: Sipapu Ski and Summer Area offers homemade posole and tortillas from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Here are reported New Mexico skiing conditions as of Tuesday, Dec. 2.

(Information provided by Ski New Mexico)

Red River Ski and Summer Area had a base depth of 20 inches with 2 of 64 trails open and 2 of 7 lifts open.

Sipapu Ski and Summer Area had a base depth of 12 inches with 3 of 44 of trails open and 2 of 6 lifts open.

Ski Santa Fe had a base depth of 18 inches with 7 of 90 trails open and 3 of 7 lifts open.

Taos Ski Valley had a base depth of 17 inches with 6 of 120 trails open and 4 of 13 lifts open.

Note: Snow conditions can change after this report is compiled.

Your guide to the Carlsbad Winter Wine Festival

Michael Smith
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Your guide to the Carlsbad Winter Wine Festival

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press

Connoisseurs of fine wines or those looking to take that first sip will find something to please their palates at Carlsbad’s Winter Wine Festival this weekend.

The annual event hosted by the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce offers guests a chance to sample the flavors of several regional and local wineries, and a variety of libations to brace visitors against the season’s cooling temperatures will be available from festival vendors.

This year’s event is sponsored by R360 Environmental Solutions.

Here’s what to know about this 2025 Winter Wine Festival.

When and where is it?

The Winter Wine Festival will run from noon to 6 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Pecos River Village Conference Center. The main day of the event will follow a sold-out VIP night held from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5, at the conference center.

How much are tickets?

Tickets for general admission on Dec. 6 are $25 per person. A ticket entitles each guest to access the festival for its duration and comes with 6 sample tickets and a commemorative glass to try small pours from the various wineries participating in the event.

Glasses of wine will also be available for purchase.

What wineries and libations are there?

Lescombes Tasting Room, Deming

Sheehan Winer, Albuquerque

Noisy Water, Ruidoso

Shattuck Vineyard, Caballo

Black’s Smuggler Winery, Bosque

Rising Sun Vineyard, McDade, Texas

Vara Winery and Distillery, Albuquerque

Rio Grande Winery, Las Cruces

Nurvis Purvis Brewing Co., Carlsbad

Pecos Flavors Winery and Bistro, Roswell

Rolling Still Spirits, Taos

What should you wear?

Guests are encouraged to dress in formal attire for the wine festival and to include shades of burgundy and green in their outfits.

Examples of what to wear are available online at https://www.carlsbadnmwinefestival.com/whattowear.

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

Christmas comes early to downtown Artesia

Michael Smith
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Christmas comes early to downtown Artesia

Photos by Mike Smith, Artesia Daily Press

A run, food, a tree lighting, and a parade started the Christmas season in Artesia courtesy of Artesia MainStreet.

Merchants were open Thursday night and people gathered downtown to start the Christmas season.

Jessica Caballero and Whitney Baize jog to the finish during the Jingle Bell Jog.

Kristy Reed runs during the Jingle Bell Jog.

Morgan Fox and Whitney Baize wrap up the Jingle Bell Jog.

The lighting of the Christmas tree near the Derrick Floor welcomed the holiday season to downtown Artesia.

Tayler Gothard sang Christmas carols during “Light Up Artesia.”

Cars were part of the “Light Up Artesia” parade.

Decorated semitrailers were also part of the parade.

Steve Pearce talks new book at signing in Artesia

Michael Smith
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Steve Pearce talks new book at signing in Artesia

Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press

Steve Pearce’s memories of warfare unfolded as he drew nearer to Vietnam in the spring of 2016.

He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1970 until 1976, through the final years of the Vietnam War, and recalled how he and other veterans returned home only to be greeted with disregard or even disrespect, never receiving the honor and support accorded those who served in earlier wars.

Forty years later, Pearce was a fixture in New Mexico politics, representing the state’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He left Congress in 2019, at the end of his seventh two-year term, then served as chair of the New Mexico Republican Party until December 2024.

Last month, President Donald Trump nominated Pearce to serve as director of the federal Bureau of Land Management. If confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Pearce would be in charge of the agency that manages government-owned land, and at the center of the ongoing debate about the oil and gas industry’s use of public land for energy development in New Mexico.

But that’s the future. On March 27, 2016, during a break in the action in Washington, D.C., Pearce left his life in politics to revisit the past, taking off from Las Vegas, Nevada, for what he called a “pilgrimage” around the globe.

His plan was to return to some of the places the war took him and fellow service members, drawing attention to the valor he said was overlooked amid the politics of the 1970s.

He flew alone for 186 flight hours, making 26 fueling stops to cover 26,000 miles in his single-engine private aircraft, a four-seat 1998 Mooney M20M Bravo. The trip ended back in Las Vegas on June 3, 2016.

Pearce’s journey took him back to Southeast Asia where his strongest memories of the war were created, in places such as Chittagong, Bangladesh and U-Tapao, Thailand, which was used as a main transportation hub throughout the war.

He also flew to war-torn regions in India and Oman, reflecting on the courageous service of surviving veterans and those who never made it home.

The trip and Pearce’s thoughts on military sacrifice are key themes of his book, “You Had a Good Home, But You Left…”

The book, released in November by boutique publisher E.P. House, recounts the flight and his reflections along the way.

The Artesia Daily Press caught up with Pearce during a book signing in Artesia to talk about the book and his thoughts on military service.

What inspired you to write this book?

“When I got home from Vietnam, I noticed the kids that were home but never quite made it back. Things had affected them. Then, of course, we had the friends who didn’t come back at all, in coffins and things. That stuff just percolated through the years. I always felt bad that kids that got injured and were forced out of the military.

“I get in Congress, and that’s still weighing on my mind. We had the opportunity to meet several soldiers who were wounded egregiously, amputations. I kept hearing the same question: Does anybody know or care what their freedom cost me? That began to weigh on me. I began to ask myself: How come I wasn’t doing more?”

How do you describe the themes of the book?

“This flight was to honor the veterans who didn’t make it home, and those that made it home without making it home. Home is a really huge piece of this.

“Initially, “You Had a Good Home, but You Left,” was just a comment I made in the book … referring to the value of cadence in our lives. In anything, you don’t need life to get ahead of you, and you start being behind your problems. Cadence has been a big deal to me my entire life.

“It also speaks to the veterans that left good, stable lives to either volunteer or accept induction when they didn’t volunteer.”

What were some of the emotions that came back during the flight?

“I had never thought of pilgrimage in my whole life, but the further along I got, the more I realized I am headed back to the warriors. I began to unpack a lot of things that I folded away and put in the closet and just thought it was all good. Just the loss of valiant soldiers because of political ineptness and military bad decisions. So, I write quite frankly about that.

“I write about the stresses to our marriage. Just, the service in D.C. was very stressful. It was a lot of stress and a lot of missed family time, and this trip was a tremendous stress.”

How did you attempt to right the wrongs of Vietnam while in Congress?

“The first speech I gave on the House floor was I don’t care if we’re in we’re in Iraq, Afghanistan or we’re out. That’s a decision to be made. But if we got soldiers there, God help us if we cut the funding off because they cut our funding off in Vietnam. Put pressure on the administration. That was my job, to be a voice. We documented things that were going wrong at the VA (Department of Veterans Affairs).

“We passed $10 billion for letting people (VA clients) see local doctors instead of having to drive to Albuquerque. Those things really got a lot of attention when I was there, and we became a voice for the military and acting correctly toward our soldiers but also towards our veterans.”

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

New Mexico’s economic freedom now dead last

Michael Smith
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New Mexico’s economic freedom now dead last

Paul J. Gessing and Matthew Mitchell

In a study published earlier this year, we highlighted the fact that New Mexico was the only state in the US to have lost economic freedom since 1981. We now know that it is worse than we thought.

People are more economically free when they are allowed to make more of their own economic choices; economists measure this freedom by looking at the degree to which government spending, taxation, and regulation limits choice.

We relied on data from the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of North America index. Over the last two decades, it has become the most cited and most used measure of state-level economic freedom in the US. Like its national-level counterpart, The Economic Freedom of the World, the state index has been used in hundreds of academic studies assessing the effect of economic freedom on a wide variety of measures of economic well-being.

These studies find that states and nations with higher levels of economic freedom tend to prosper. They have higher incomes, faster growth, and less poverty. And prosperity yields a variety of other salutary outcomes including cleaner environments, higher life satisfaction, and more gender equality.

Working within the scope of the rule of law and a system of private property rights, humans tend to voluntarily cooperate together to improve their surroundings and outcomes. Government can play a useful role in enforcing property rights and in ensuring that people are free from fraud and force. But it can also stifle innovation and productivity by consuming wealth and placing too many barriers on workers, consumers, businesses, and entrepreneurs.

The latest edition of the Economic Freedom of North America has just been released. And sadly, New Mexico has lost even more ground relative to the other 49 US states. Now, the Land of Enchantment has fallen behind New York and Hawaii to be dead last in the nation.

This should not surprise anyone who follows New Mexico policy. The state has had a massive oil and gas boom in recent years, creating a gusher of tax revenue. But policymakers have done nearly nothing with that revenue to make the state more appealing to investors, workers, or businesses.

Since the start of 2025, New Mexico’s oil and gas sovereign wealth fund has leapt in value from $58 billion to $66 billion. The general fund budget has risen 71% during Lujan Grisham’s 7 years in office. As a share of statewide personal income, the state’s general consumption expenditures are the highest in the nation. Transfers and subsidies are the 3rd highest. Sales tax revenue is the 3rd highest, and government employment is the 2nd highest. As a share of per capita income, New Mexico’s minimum wage is the 2nd highest in the nation.

Instead of creating and enforcing a level playing field for all New Mexicans, the state’s policymakers have long preferred to lavish privileges on favored firms and industries. Time and again, the state’s film subsidy program, for example, has been found to be a money loser. But they keep throwing good money after bad.

Market pressures have recently forced state policymakers to shift corporate welfare spending from unsustainable boondoggles like Maxeon and Ebon Solar to more economically viable projects like data centers (Project Jupiter in Santa Theresa and Zenith Volts near Roswell).

But whether these projects come to fruition or not, corporate welfare is not an efficient, equitable, or sustainable strategy for long-term economic development.

Instead, policymakers should focus on improving overall economic conditions by increasing economic freedom for all. While it may be unfashionable to say amid massive budget surpluses and revenue growth, the state needs to restrain spending. It should also reduce taxes, ease regulatory burdens, and let the private sector play a larger role in economic development.

The state’s descent to dead last in economic freedom, less free than even New York and California, should be a wake-up call.

Paul Gessing is president of the Rio Grande Foundation in Albuquerque. Matthew Mitchell is a senior fellow in the Center for Human Freedom at the Fraser Institute in Canada. He lives in Northern New Mexico.

Police identify skeletal remains found in Artesia

Michael Smith
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Police identify skeletal remains found in Artesia

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com

Artesia police identified human bones found in September as belonging to a transient man last seen three years ago when he was released from jail.

Skeletal remains of John W. Littleton, 53, were found Sept. 29 near the train tracks at 300 N. 1st Street in Artesia after a train conductor with Burlington Northern Santa Fe found the remains and called police.

The identification of Littleton was announced by the Artesia Police Department in a Wednesday, Dec. 3, news release. The remains were identified by police based on initial findings by the Office of the Medical Investigator, according to the release. An autopsy was ongoing, the release read, and police were continuing to investigate the cause of Littleton’s death.

The call leading to discovery of the remains came in about 2:50 p.m., police said, when what initially appeared to be a decomposed foot was found along the tracks near a loading dock owned by Artesia Ford Company.

The rest of the body was found beneath the dock after police responded, said Commander Pete Quinones with the Artesia Police Department.

Quinones said the incident, like all death investigations, was being treated as a homicide until evidence is found to the contrary.

Police said Littleton was last seen alive on May 31, 2022, when he was released from the Eddy County Detention Center.

Quinones said Littleton was a known transient in Artesia, as many local businesses called authorities over the past several years to report him locking himself in bathrooms and trespassing on various properties.

“He was well known in our town for being vagrant and causing problems around town,” Quinones said. “He had caused problems with a lot of businesses. I never knew him to be violent. We didn’t consider him a threat.”

Littleton’s most recent arrest was on March 7, 2022, before his release on May 31 of that year, jail records indicate. He did not incur any criminal charges before being discharged from the detention center.

Court records show Littleton’s last criminal charges stemmed from an arrest in April 2019 when he was charged with felony battery against a peace officer, along with misdemeanor criminal trespassing and resisting arrest.

That arrest occurred, police said, after an employee at an Allsup’s store in Carlsbad found Littleton sleeping in a store bathroom. When officers attempted to wake him, he kicked an officer in the leg and threw multiple punches as he was restrained.

A stun gun was used and Littleton was arrested. Police noted he had five previous charges for battery on an officer, according to the criminal complaint.

The felony charge was dismissed in exchange for no-contest pleas on the misdemeanors, records show, and Littleton was sentenced in March 2020 to 13 months and 35 days’ incarceration at the Eddy County Detention Center.

Quinones said police had not had any interaction with Littleton in the years since he was last released from custody, and that Littleton was one of a “handful” of known transients police were frequently called about around town.

“We thought maybe he was in another town. With finding these skeletal remains, obviously that was not the case,” Quinones said.

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

Victims identified in Alamogordo plane crash

Michael Smith
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Victims identified in Alamogordo plane crash

Staff Reports

Alamogordo News

New Mexico State Police have identified two victims, 73-year-old Ralph Guernin and 40-year-old Patrick Cheung, in the remains of an aircraft that crashed outside of the Alamogordo White Sands Regional Airport on Nov. 26.

The aircraft was an American Aviation model AA-1A with a Fixed Wing Single-Engine, according to the Federal Aviation Administration Registry. The aircraft was registered to Cheung in Boca Raton, Florida.

A coordinated search effort was conducted with the assistance of the Otero County Sheriff’s Office, Alamogordo Police Department, Otero County Emergency Services, Alamogordo Fire Department, the Lincoln National Forest Service, and New Mexico Search and Rescue and on Nov. 27, 2025, at 10:17 a.m., the aircraft was located. The aircraft was completely burned and Guernin and Cheung were pronounced dead at the scene, according to New Mexico State Police.

Mayor Susan L. Payne took to Facebook to express her condolences, writing: “This is a tragedy. I would ask all of our citizens to please join us in praying for the families.”

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