Santa Fe New Mexican: Report: Oil and gas interests spent $11.5M in New Mexico politics in recent years

03.31.2020 / By Michael Gerstein
Santa Fe New Mexican: Report: Oil and gas interests spent $11.5M in New Mexico politics in recent years

“The recent oil boom in New Mexico has unleashed more than an ocean of oil and gas money: It has unleashed a gusher of campaign contributions, a flurry of lobbyists offering expensive dinners and a mammoth public relations offensive financed by one of the largest and most powerful professional associations in the state,” Common Cause Executive Director Heather Ferguson said in a statement Tuesday.

In a desert state with some of world’s largest oil reserves and not much other industry, a hefty portion of government funding comes from drilling revenues.

Oil and gas companies also are leading contributors to New Mexico’s elected officials, according to a new report detailing the influence of the fossil fuel industry on state politics.

Oil and gas interests spent $11.5 million on paid lobbyists, dinner and drinks for lawmakers, and campaign contributions between 2017 and 2020, said the report, released Tuesday by New Mexico Ethics Watch and Common Cause New Mexico.

“The recent oil boom in New Mexico has unleashed more than an ocean of oil and gas money: It has unleashed a gusher of campaign contributions, a flurry of lobbyists offering expensive dinners and a mammoth public relations offensive financed by one of the largest and most powerful professional associations in the state,” Common Cause Executive Director Heather Ferguson said in a statement Tuesday.

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