INTRODUCTION

Big dollars, hot energy debate and COVID

Dear Readers,

Here we are, a second year into a pandemic that has killed more than 6,000 New Mexicans and hoping 2022 will bring relief from a historic plague.

Like 12 months ago, COVD-19 looms over this year’s session, but unlike in 2021, when the Roundhouse was closed to the public, it’s open this year. But COVID-19 has left its mark. Visitors must show proof of vaccination and walk through metal detectors before entering. The precautions likely mean the usual crowds won’t swarm the Roundhouse over the next month. Instead, thousands of New Mexicans are expected to tune in to senate and house floor sessions and legislative committee meetings via ZOOM. My, what changes COVID-19 has wrought. Until a few years ago many lawmakers resisted webcasting legislative business.

For the second year in a row, webcasting will be the default method for following the state’s business.

Another change from last year is financial. A year ago, New Mexico was overcoming a disastrous global economic shutdown that forced the Legislature to meet in the summer and winter of 2020 to adjust to new financial realities. This year’s budgetary outlook is bright. Thanks to an oil and gas boom and a massive infusion of federal dollars, the state’s financial picture is so gilded that policy makers are blue skying how to address long-standing, systemic challenges — public education and the state’s digital divide. There likely will be a push to address the state’s lack of housing for low-income New Mexicans from some lawmakers, too, but its success isn’t assured.

At the same time, a recent trend by the state to increasingly use no-bid contracts to spend public dollars exposes New Mexico to greater risk of waste and fraud, according to analysts, who repeatedly have warned of the rising danger. Why haven’t state lawmakers exerted their oversight powers, and what will they do this session? You’ll find a story in this edition that poses those questions.

Another story showcases Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s push to make New Mexico into a clean energy state. She envisions the state’s ample natural gas reserves as a foundation for converting the state into a hub for hydrogen production. Hydrogen is expected to become a major source of energy in the 21st century. But many environmental organizations aren’t on board, saying her plan to use oil and gas to produce hydrogen doesn’t move the state quickly enough into a cleaner energy future. Expect a robust debate.

Beyond those stories, you’ll find eight guest columnists. They cover disparate subjects: the state’s finances; the importance of the state’s public schools becoming multicultural institutions receptive to wisdom and knowledge from New Mexico’s tribal communities; what to learn from two years of education innovation; why the state should require public servants to publicly disclose more about their personal finances; and the significance of protecting the state’s new ethics commission’s funding and improvements to state election laws. In addition, there also are dueling essays on the merits of Lujan Grisham’s hydrogen hub vision.

We hope this publication helps you understand the disorienting world in which we find ourselves as well as some of the key issues lawmakers will be grappling with over the next several weeks. Thanks for reading. We hope you’ll follow along with us during the session, at www.nmindepth. com.

Trip Jennings