by WorldTribune Staff, June 15, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
Will New Mexico remain the No. 2 producer of oil and gas in the United States with Deb Haaland as governor?
As Secretary of the Interior during the Biden-Harris regime, Haaland stated in 2023: “The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to building a clean energy future that ensures America’s energy independence. The Proposed Final Program, which represents the smallest number of oil and gas lease sales in history, sets a course for the department to support the growing offshore wind industry and protect against the potential for environmental damage and adverse impacts to coastal communities.”
Deb Haaland
Last week, Haaland won New Mexico’s Democrat gubernatorial primary. She’ll be up against Republican primary winner Gregg Hull in November’s general election.
There’s a good chance Haaland could be the Land of Enchantment’s next governor. New Mexico has trended left in recent years and Democrats have won every statewide elected office since 2017.
What will that mean for New Mexico’s energy scene?
The state is the second-largest producer behind Texas, pumping out 2 million barrels of oil per day. Two counties in south-east New Mexico account for 78% of all onshore federal oil production, according to the American Petroleum Institute.
It’s a safe bet that Haaland will look to implement an anti-fossil fuel agenda on the state’s oil and gas industry, critics say.
“Deb Haaland has never missed a chance to side with the anti-energy left, and New Mexico families have every reason to worry about what comes next,” said Larry Behrens, communication director for Power the Future, according to a June 15 report by Just the News.
During her confirmation hearing to head up Interior, Wyoming Republican Sen. John Barrasso pointed to Haaland’s anti-oil and gas views in voicing his opposition to her nomination.
He cited an article in The Guardian in which Haaland, who was then a New Mexico congresswoman, stated she was “wholeheartedly against fracking and drilling on public lands.” She explained in the interview that she wanted to see fossil fuel development entirely phased out on federal lands.
Haaland was also a staunch supporter of the Green New Deal, which would have rapidly eliminated all fossil fuel use in the U.S.
David Blackmon, an analyst with more than 40 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, said on his “Energy Additions” Substack that the oil and gas industry was able to thrive in southeast New Mexico despite the hostility of the Biden-Harris regime because of the smart foresight of companies who stockpiled leases during the first Trump Administration. This allowed them to keep overall production rising through years when few lease sales were offered.
“But now, one of the lead actors from that hostile federal administration threatens to play the lead role in what would no doubt become an even more overtly hostile state administration,” Blackmon wrote.
States have limited power over activities on federal lands, Blackmon noted, but New Mexico land is made up of a “checkerboard” of federal, state, Indian and private land. The big acre units that oil and gas production in New Mexico depends on often straddle these various land types. This fact would provide Haaland with opportunities to advance her climate agenda as governor against U.S. oil production.
Behrens with Power the Future pointed out that 40% of New Mexico’s revenues come from its oil and gas production. Haalland could potentially do a lot of damage as governor, and it might take generations for the state to recover from it, he said.
“Her record in Washington was defined by higher costs, fewer opportunities, and hostility toward the very workers who fund this state’s schools, roads, and public services. New Mexico doesn’t need a governor who treats its greatest economic engine like a political enemy,” Behrens said.
