Martin Heinrich touts energy transition in reelection bid for New Mexico U.S. Senate seat

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, New Mexico’s senior member of the chamber, announced Thursday he planned to seek another six years representing his state in the U.S. Senate.

It would be Henrich’s third term in the Senate if he wins the election on Nov. 4, 2024, in a political career that included a four-year term representing New Mexico’s First Congressional District from 2009 to 2013.

Upon the announcement, Heinrich said he looked forward work he said would position his state and the U.S. to transition away from pollution and capitalize on emerging industries.

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Heinrich’s home state of New Mexico is second in the U.S. for oil production after Texas which shares the Permian Basin.

It’s home to more than 5 million barrels per day of oil production, more than any other shale basin in the nation and propelling the U.S. to lead the globe in fossil fuels.

The Permian Basin’s rise came amid expanded use of new drilling technologies like hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, and horizontal drilling — innovations that allowed drillers to target deeper, harder-to-reach oil and gas deposits.

More: Scientists searching the deserts of New Mexico for minerals critical to energy, technology

But Heinrich said New Mexico and the country need to prepare for a shift in global energy markets, and an environmental need to transition toward more use of renewable energy sources like wind, solar or geothermal.

It’s inevitable as new technology is developed, Heinrich said, regardless of government policy.

He pointed to the decline of coal, not as being caused by policy but by newer, more efficient energy sources being developed in the U.S. and across the world.

More: Renewable energy now required on New Mexico state land after Lujan Grisham signs bill

“This transition is coming. We need to do a really good job of preparing for it now and being proactive rather than reactive,” Heinrich said. “That transition is happening now. Rather than wait until there is a reduction in demand, we need to position our economy to take maximum advantage.”

He said the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a signature piece of environmental legislation promoted by President Joe Biden and signed into law last year was crucial to making the transition happen equitably and Heinrich planned to continue the work of the IRA if reelected.

Watch Heinrich's reelection message

Provisions in the bill included “industrial policy” Heinrich said supported the U.S.’ energy transition like tax credits for renewable installations, transmission lines and other infrastructure.

More: Oil companies investing millions in Permian Basin ahead of summer fuel demands

New Mexico workers, namely those in the oilfields, needed to be supported, Heinrich said, through increased vocational training for new, emerging energy sectors as the IRA’s impacts mature in the coming years.

Industries like renewable energy, or hydrogen power could employ similar technological and industrial knowledge held by oilfield workers, Heinrich said, and environmental mitigation efforts like plugging abandoned wells could represent a “one-for-one” employment opportunity, he said.

The IRA contained policy sponsored by New Mexico’s other U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, earmarking $4.3 billion in federal funds for well plugging on state and private land, with at least $25 million going to the work in New Mexico.

More: The end of oil and gas? Lawsuit led by New Mexico group seeks to phase out drilling

“There is deep engineering capacity in the oil and gas sector, and we need to find ways for that to match up to technologies that are expanding now,” Heinrich said.

Fixing congressional gridlock essential to move U.S. forward, Heinrich says

Energy, and especially fossil fuels, can be politically polarizing at all levels of government, with a Republican Party largely supportive of the petroleum industry and Democrats calling for action on manmade climate change driven by pollution many fear the result of the extraction and use of fossil fuels.

Bipartisanship could mean the success of efforts to reform infrastructure permitting, Heinrich said, ensuring projects like transmission lines and pipelines can be efficiently developed without long wait times while also ensuring taxpayers get a fair return.

More: Oilfield lawmakers claim success in killing bills aimed at energy pollution in New Mexico

“There’s demand for that on both sides of the aisle,” Heinrich said. “It shouldn’t take more than 5-7 years to permit a powerline.”

He also pointed to the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, which Heinrich sponsored with GOP U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and reintroduced in April.

This bill would provide federal funds to protect endangered species throughout the U.S., and work proactively, Heinrich said, to avoid listings and subsequent restrictions to development.

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“We’ve had some very constructive conversations with Republican leaders around that,” he said.

There was also wide support from both political parties to support New Mexico after last year saw the two biggest wildfires in history.

At the state level this year, bills to provide funds to affected New Mexicans passed the Legislature unanimously and the version of the IRA passed by Congress provided $4 billion in federal funds for similar relief.

More: More New Mexico land must be saved from oil and gas to prevent climate crisis, study says

“This is a trend that is a direct result of the climate impacts of a warming world. We need to recognize that,” Heinrich said of intensifying wildfires. “We can do a better job of responding to them and a better job of preparing for them.”

Some partisan challenges still weighed on a highly-divided Congress, Heinrich said, as an effort backed by the Republican-controlled House to raise the debt ceiling was sent to the Senate and remained under negotiations.

“We absolutely need to raise the debt limit. Those are commitments we’ve already made. Default should never be an option for the United States. It directly hurts individuals and families,” Heinrich said.

“We should not conduct ourselves in Washington, D.C. in ways that raise people’s mortgage rates, raises their car rates.”

Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, achedden@currentargus.com or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Martin Heinrich announces reelection bid for New Mexico Senate seat