State That Biden Won by Almost 11% Now Has Reason to Regret His Victory Pump jacks operate in April in Eddy County, New Mexico. The state's oil industry is taking a hit from President Joe Biden's executive order limiting oil leases on federal lands. (Paul Ratje / AFP via Getty Images)
By Jack Davis
Published January 24, 2021 at 12:47pm
In November, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was so popular in New Mexico that he captured more than 54 percent of the vote, giving him an almost 11 percentage point win over then- President Donald Trump.
But on the heels of a 60-day moratorium on oil and gas drilling on federal lands that has emerged from the new president’s administration, Biden’s popularity appears to be slipping.
On Wednesday, acting Interior Secretary Scott de la Vega issued a 60-day ban on new permits on federal land, according to the Washington Times.
“It’s very much putting politics above science,” said Ryan Flynn, president and CEO of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Flynn said the issue is not just a 60-day pause, but the political climate that produced this order and might produce others like it.
“It’s clear that whoever is advising these approaches isn’t thinking about what the unintended consequences will be for driving production away from the most responsible producer,” Flynn said.
The association drove home its point on Twitter.
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Poster Comment:
Biden has nominated Merrick Garland for Attorney General. He was rejected by the Republican Senate for a seat on Supreme Court because of his rabid anti-gun views.