Sandy Jones
It’s no secret that New Mexico is in financial crisis.
Lawmakers recently ended a special legislative session to address the deficit and had to make some tough choices to bridge the budget gap.
I’m a father and I believe that our children are our greatest assets. I say no to cutting public school funding to balance the budget. I say no to downsizing teachers and support staff, and I say no to closing schools.
Virtually every New Mexico school district, whether small or large, is not operating with sufficient funding that is mandated in the New Mexico Constitution. This has dramatically impacted how our schools are able to pay for classroom instruction, school materials, educational salaries and the day-to-day business of educating our children.
We have to resolve the budget deficit as quickly as possible. We cannot stand by while our schools are being closed and our teachers are being laid off.
Nationwide reports are showing that more than 100,000 teachers will be laid off this year. New Mexico has the resources to fix this problem.
There is one simple solution: energy for education.
Energy for education
The land commissioner and the State Land Office manage state trust lands, and the revenue earned from oil and gas development on trust lands helps public schools and universities meet their budgets so you don’t have to.
The oil and gas industry generates 95 percent of the revenue earned by the State Land Office, which adds up to approximately $500 million a year. Almost every penny of that helps our public schools and universities meet their budgets.
The State Land Office owns 13 million acres of mineral estate. Three million acres are under lease, and there are 9,800 existing oil and gas leases. Oil production on trust lands totals 38 percent of state production; gas production on trust lands amounts to 18 percent of state production.
There is a lot of room for growth.
As your commissioner of public lands I will be innovative and bold. My balanced approach is what I believe will help get New Mexico back on track.
I have met with legislators and educators across the state to address their concerns. I propose the following to bring millions of additional dollars to our schools:
To spur immediate revenues to our education system I propose the State Land Office offer new oil and gas leases with royalties competitive with what the U.S. Bureau of Land Management offers for the next two years. Bonuses from these new leases will create millions of addition education dollars and create jobs.
I will work extensively with Bureau of Land Management so that the agency can fully implement its conservation strategies and the Land Office can achieve its mission to generate revenue for public education. Working together will facilitate endangered species habitat conservation efforts.
Job creation and revenue enhancement
I will work closely with the congressional delegation to provide tax credits for oil producers to pursue environmental safeguards.
As a member of the Oil Conservation Commission, my vote will assure that the rules that are adopted are scientifically sound and equitable.
I will be a strong advocate for renewable energy projects. We have plenty of wind and sunshine and must work together to make New Mexico and leader in this industry.
I will go before the Legislature to obtain jurisdiction to negotiate with New Mexico’s potash industry – located in Eddy County and the largest in the United States – to incorporate oil and gas development on state trust lands in the area.
I will support advisory committees to address issues and policies that affect oil and gas producers and conservation issues. I will make sure they work together to make decisions that are in the best interest of our state.
I will be a strong advocate during the legislative session to ensure our schools are funded sufficiently.
It’s time that someone showed the leadership to benefit the children and unemployed workers in our state. My Energy for Education program will bring thousands of family-wage jobs to our state and funding to our schools.
I am convinced that we can increase our oil and gas revenues and be good stewards of our environment. We simply need to change the focus of the land office and make job creation and revenue enhancement our top priority.
Jones is a Democrat running for state land commissioner and is currently a member of the Public Regulation Commission.