Opinion: NM has opportunity to shift gears

If you’re wondering how the new Biden administration is going to impact New Mexico, you don’t need to look very far.

Already, President Joe Biden has put the brakes on Donald Trump’s border wall, put Space Command’s location back on the table and put a stop to fossil fuel extraction on public lands.

Let’s start with Trump’s wall, which Biden has stopped in its tracks. Aside from it being a colossal waste of money — an investment in electronic surveillance along the border is far safer and more practical, and far less expensive than the $15 billion Trump spent on it — both building it and stopping it were deeply symbolic gestures. “Build the wall” became a xenophobic chant that contributed to Trump’s election, while stopping its construction gives a boost to more than just the anti-Trumpers; it’s also a step back toward efforts to create real immigration policy reforms — something that both sides claim they want and New Mexico would benefit from.

Then there’s Space Command’s permanent home, which surfaced in the days between the election and Trump’s forced exit from the presidency.

In December 2018, then-President Trump ordered the Defense Department to establish a U.S. Space Command as a “unified combatant command” — headquarters for a new military branch for space — and to temporarily place its headquarters in Colorado until a permanent location was chosen. Colorado also won the Air Force’s recommendation to be the command’s permanent HQ, but Trump ordered it placed in Alabama instead.

The decision — announced exactly one week after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, on the day Trump was impeached for a second time — was instantly suspect, since Alabama supports Trump and because Colorado, New Mexico and Florida were seen as more suitable locations for the headquarters.

Alabama has a history in space exploration, but it pales in comparison to New Mexico’s. Here, we practically invented rocketry and our space observations go back to prehistoric times; plus we have one of the best spaceports and some of the best scientific laboratories around.

Likewise, Colorado has NORAD (the North American Aerospace Defense Command) headquartered there and Florida has its “Space Coast” operations alongside Cape Canaveral, so they too look much more attractive for this new development than Alabama.

Last week, New Mexico’s Sen. Martin Heinrich said the decision in now under review.

New Mexico was one of six finalists before the decision was made (air bases in Texas and Nebraska were also in contention) and perhaps now Kirtland Air Force Base is back in consideration.

Colorado, it would seem, would be the frontrunner, but New Mexico — with all its applicable amenities — ought to be a contender as well. It’ll be worth watching in the weeks and months ahead to see how this turns out.

Then there are Biden’s executive orders to temporarily ban the leasing of and drilling on public lands, mainly out here in the West.

Nowhere will these two orders hit harder than in New Mexico, where leasing and drilling public lands are greatest in the northwestern and southeastern parts of our state. To ban the extraction industries from these lands will be a big blow to our state economy — but a lot of people, including our governor, consider it necessary if we’re going to seriously take on climate change.

Keep an eye out for legislation to offset the economic impact of these executive orders. At this moment in time, New Mexico has an opportunity to shift gears and emerge as a 21st century economy, where “green” is both future-focused and profitable.

Tom McDonald is editor of the New Mexico Community News Exchange. Contact him at:

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