After voting for Joe Biden last November, voters in the state of New Mexico are expressing regret over his recent decision to halt all production of oil and gas in the state, according to Breitbart.
Biden announced a 60-day suspension on all oil and gas leasing and drilling permits in the nation, which follows his campaign trail promise to “transition away from the oil industry.” Despite backlash to the promise by even prominent Democrats in the state, and although New Mexico is the third-highest producer of oil in the nation and among the top ten biggest producers of energy overall, the state still voted to send its five electoral votes to Biden in the 2020 election.
But, as the Associated Press confirms, Biden’s energy moratorium “is prompting widespread concerns in New Mexico, where spending on education and other public programs hinges on the industry’s success.” The report goes on to note that industry leaders say that “any move to make permanent the suspension would be economically devastating for the state,” since “half of New Mexico’s production happens on federal land and amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties each year.”
The move is the latest controversial decision made by Biden with regards to the energy sector, following his executive order to halt any further construction of the Keystone XL pipeline between the United States and Canada, a move that has killed tens of thousands of jobs and risks straining American relations with its neighbor to the north. These and other moves have been made in the name of fighting “climate change,” but often with no plan for compensating or otherwise accommodating the energy workers who would be put out of a job as a result.