More than 200 educators from across New Mexico sent a letter to members of the state legislature and the U. S. Congress on Nov. 30 asking that the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association stop using educators and students in public campaigns to promote more oil and gas development, block efforts to diversify state revenues, address climate change and make changes to the federal oil and gas program.
The letter follows an early effort in July 2021, when organizations representing thousands of teachers and educators across New Mexico sent a letter to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state legislative leaders expressing concern about the state’s over-reliance on fossil fuel extraction for education funding.
The letter follows.
November 30, 2021
Leland Gould
President & CEO
New Mexico Oil & Gas Association
P.O. Box 1864
Santa Fe, NM 87504
Dear Mr. Gould,
We, the undersigned individual educators (including early childhood, K-12 and higher education, in all job categories), are writing to request that the oil and gas industry and its allies immediately stop using New Mexico teachers and kids as excuses for more oil and gas development. As educators, we have dedicated our lives to our students. We are deeply concerned about the impacts of climate change like extreme drought, wildfires, and air pollution, and what that will mean for future generations. It has been extremely disappointing to watch the oil and gas industry and its allies use educators and students as props in campaigns against progress on climate and clean energy policies, particularly President Joe Biden and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s efforts to pause new oil and gas leasing and make changes to the federal oil and gas leasing program.
The industry and allies have used the same misleading tactics to block legislation to diversify state revenues. Recent campaigns have sought to scare the public and educators alike about the impacts of those policies using industry-funded, discredited and inaccurate data. Using images of students in schools gives the impression that New Mexico educators support the industry’s one-sided position, which is disingenuous and misleading to the public.
An analysis from the New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee shows that New Mexico has not seen virtually any of the impacts from the leasing pause that industry predicted. With royalties and production of oil and gas in New Mexico at record levels, we believe now is the perfect time to begin moving away from oil and gas.
We appreciate the funding generated for our state’s education system from every source, including from oil and gas. But relying so heavily on one industry, has unfortunately had negative consequences for students, as school funding has risen and fallen along with the industry’s fortunes. Whether our students receive services they need should never depend on the price of a commodity. For education to succeed, we need our elected leaders to diversify our revenue sources, so that teacher salaries and classroom resources are not taken for a ride every time there is a boom and eventual bust cycle in the oil and gas industry.
We firmly believe our state, our country, and all nations must transition as quickly as possible away from fossil fuels. Science shows that immediate cuts must be made to our carbon emissions, which means we must transition rapidly to clean energy alternatives and use less oil and gas. We wholeheartedly support this transition.
New Mexico children deserve an education system from early childhood through higher education funded by stable and consistent sources of revenue which do not also contribute to endangering their future on this planet and our own Land of Enchantment.
We continue to urge our elected leaders to move as quickly as possible to make significant changes to our energy and revenue systems. At the same time, we strongly urge the oil and gas industry and its allies to stop standing in the way of aggressive action to address climate change and to stop pretending educators and students are solely on your side.
Respectfully,
Christopher Adams
Theresa Adams
Leah Ahkee-Baczkiewicz
Margaret Alire
Sascha Anderson
John Andrews
Gail Ansheles
Serina Apodaca-Peckham
Crystal Arias
Jennifer Arlin
Samantha Ashby
Carlos Avila
Mahsa Azma
Rita Baca
Deana Baker
Mary Balderrama
Amanda Barela
Graciela Bazzanella
Isabel Bearman Bucher
Rebecca Belletto
Michelle Ben
Mary Bissell
Delandra Bitsuie
Charles Bowyer
Eleanor Bravo
Marlene Brown
Stanley Burg
Deena Burnett
Amy Butel
Biviana Cadena
Elizabeth Cadena McDonald
Roxanne Candelaria-Ley
Cindy Carr
Kristi Carr
Cheryl Carreon
Rosalinda Carreon Altamirano
Tonia Caselman
Cassandra Cde Baca
Ronald Christ
Elaine Cimino
Vary Coates
Martha Cooke
Yvonne Corder
Monique Cordova
Pam Cordova
Sierra Corriveau
Elynn Cowden
Rhonda Crespo
Jerry Cronin
Kay D’Antonio
Mary Daniel-Montoya
Denise Dawson
Christopher De Jesus
Dewette Decker
Elizabeth Diaz
Karen Dockstader
Duana Draszkiewicz
Erick Druva
Reynand Dumala-On
Terry Dunbar
Juan Duran
K.C. Dutcher
Stephen Eiland
Mikiko Ellis
Diane Eriksson
Jerry Everhart
Melissa Fernandez
Edward Fernandez
Kyle Fiore
Lillian Fitzpatrick
Russell Fletcher
Geni Flores
Dr. Cheryl Ford
Angel Frausto
Susan Fule
Cathy Gaarden
Rosa Gallegos-Samora
Martha Gamboa
Harry Gantz
Bernice García-Baca
Anne Garland
Walter Gerstle
Thomas Gibbons
Henry Gonzales
Melinda González
Judith Gordon
Robert Grainger
David Greenberg
Richard Griego
Adam Gutierrez
Anni Hanna
Amanda Hatherly
Billie Helean
Benjamin Hernandez
Judy Herzl
Sara Hibner
Alicia Hicks
Laura J. Hobbs
Cheryl Holland
Sue Holland
Jenifer Hooten
Jessica Hudson
Cynthia Hull
Yazmin Izquierdo
Debaura James
Miranda Jeantete
Kathy Jenkins
James Jimenez
Patrícia Jimenez-Latham
Ann Jones
Mary Kamoss
Sharon King
Malva Knoll
Linda Knutson
Esther Kovari
Katie Lake
Chris Lopez
Josephine Lopez
Victor Lopez
Joe Dan Lovato
Phil Lucero
Kate MacDermott
Rudy Macias
Sandra Mack
Peter Madsen
Aviva Markowitz
Cathy Martin
Carmela Martinez
David Martinez
Holly Martinez
Lori Martinez
Rachel Martínez Powers
Bertha A. Martinez-Reyes
Holly Mata
Sally Maxwell
Kristine Mayle
Emily McCarthy
Ann McCartney
Duncan McGraw
Laura Medina
Andrew Melenchek
Robert Miera
Emma Mincks
Rose Mitchell
Mary Montoya
Isabel Morris
Cate Moses
Maureen Murphy
Jennifer Nane
Ivydel Natachu
Dair Obenshain
Dena Odell
Craig O’Hare
Nicole Olonovich
Edgar Orejel
Diana Orozco- Garrett
Jennifer Ortiz
Margaret Ortiz
Ramón Padilla
Theresa Palmer
Mary Parr-Sanchez
Francisco Patoni
Barbara Petersen
Giselle Piburn
Lexi Pickel
Matthias Pleil
J. Michele Ponce
Joanne Ponce
Ellen Pulido
Frances Ramirez-Maestas
John Reese
Sheryl Reese
Barbara Reider
Tim Richman
Erika Robers
Jamie Roberts
Agusta Rodriguez-Asi
Maria Rogahn
David Rogers
Carey Rojas
Cynthia Romero
Ryan Ross
Mayra Saenz
Jocelyn Salaz
Hilda Sanchez
Marva Sanchez
Adrian Sandoval
May Schaefer
Angela Schelton
Karen Schindwolf
Jillene Schmidt
Amy Schroth
Marlene K Schwalje
Jack Schwartz
Enrique Serrano
Fiana Shapiro
Kristen Simo
Michelle Skigen-Sarabia
Renae Smith
Thomas Solomon
Chris Speck
Rebecca Spencer
Jennifer StClair
Helen Stein
Genie Stevens
Margaret Stielow
Nicole Storm
Elsie Stott
Ruth Striegel
Michelle Tafoya
Teresa Tenorio
Camellia Termini
John Thayer
Liz Thomson
Deborah Trujillo
Jennifer Trujillo
Lorraine Upton
Christina Valentine
Amanda VanVeen
Mark Vasconcellos
Kay Vinson
Merry Wadsworth
Angie Walker
Christina Walseth
Tony Watkins
Margaret Watson
Karen Weber
Lisa Weinbaum
Gail Wheeler
Vicki Whitaker
Robin Wiener
Beverly Williams
Carol Williford
John Wills
Tracy Winslow
Valerie Wood
Ana Wooldridge
LaVerne Yazzie
Staff Reports
and New Mexico educators listed below
