By MERILEE DANNEMANN
Triple Spaced Again
© 2024 New Mexico News Services

“New Mexico 2050” was the very ambitious title of an only slightly ambitious project. In 2015, a small conference was held and a book was published, featuring in-depth analysis of major issues by respected New Mexico policy experts, edited by former U.S. Sen. Fred Harris.

The book contained a great deal of information but lacked the long-term vision I had hoped to see. For all my years here, New Mexico policy makers have focused on fixing our myriad immediate problems rather than aiming with determination at long-term goals.

That’s reasonable, given how many immediate problems we have, but maybe it would help to set higher specific goals.

To quote author Stephen Covey, in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” “Begin with the end in mind.” That means set the goal first then figure out how to achieve it.

It’s a new year, the state is flush with money and the legislative session has not started yet. So for a few optimistic moments, instead of being bogged down by pragmatism I’m starting my new year by thinking big.

I suggest that the state set some long-range goals. Here are two specific ideas as examples.

I’m skipping the obvious – education and economic development. We know New Mexico is obsessed with those issues, and I don’t believe a vision statement would move the process along any faster or alleviate the continuing argument about how to achieve results. Let’s find some other things that are challenging and worth doing.

First: eliminate all leaking carbon within 10 years. All of it.

As I wrote in a recent column, the oil industry should be capturing methane from active oil production, because it is highly toxic, has a powerful greenhouse effect, and doesn’t contribute any positive benefits.

Let’s expand that goal to include capping depleted and abandoned oil wells. If the science holds up, these capped wells can be made beneficial by using them to store carbon dioxide underground.

According to “New Mexico Earth Matters,” a publication of New Mexico Tech, carbon sequestration is a well-established technique that has been used in New Mexico for decades. It involves injecting carbon dioxide into oil reservoirs to push the oil out so it can be pumped to the surface.

The problem of abandoned oil wells is also well documented. The number in New Mexico has been estimated from 700 to more than 1,700. They can leak not only methane, but also hydrogen sulfide, benzene, arsenic and other chemicals, all toxic.

There is no political controversy around this issue. But there are possible administrative complications in determining who pays: whether specific wells are the responsibility of a known private owner or “orphaned,” meaning no former owner or operator can be located.

New Mexico has received $25 million in federal funds for this effort, and additional funding from other sources is likely.

Here’s a second and simpler goal: within 10 years, make New Mexico the most physician-friendly state, so doctors will want to be here.

This requires no explanation – just determination. The inadequacies of healthcare access in New Mexico, including our serious shortage of physicians, are based on public policies, such as our high Medicaid population combined with low Medicaid reimbursement rates. Those policies can be corrected, and the rewards are obvious.

If you don’t agree with these goals, suggest other ones. I’d like to see one of our trusted nonprofits start a New Mexico 2050 Commission.

As Yogi Berra famously said, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up someplace else.” Let’s decide where we want to go.

Contact Merilee Dannemann through www.triplespacedagain.com.