Campaign focuses on true costs of oil and gas industry on communities
Albuquerque – This week, a series of billboards depicting everyday life in New Mexico ruined by oil and gas were erected across much of southeastern New Mexico. The billboards, paid for by ProgressNow New Mexico and part of their larger Crude Intentions campaign, can be seen on highways outside Carlsbad, Hobbs, Lovington, and Artesia.
The Crude Intentions campaign was launched earlier this year to bring attention to the “unseen” effects that the oil and gas industry has on daily life to New Mexicans all across the state. The pictures and videos show images of something “normal” like a baseball glove or a fish on a line, but they have been covered in what appears to be liquid petroleum. The glove sign asks “what’s the catch?” while the fish sign says “bait and switch.”
“While the oil and gas lobby tries to focus entirely on their fiscal contributions to the state, we want to remind them and every New Mexican that those contributions come at a steep price when it comes to the health, safety, and future of our beautiful state,” said Lucas Herndon, Energy & Policy Director for ProgressNow New Mexico. “While oil company CEOs post record profits from resources mined in New Mexico, oil and gas communities live with some of the highest in the nation asthma rates, increased earthquakes from fracking activity, and an unsustainable economic rollercoaster. We deserve better.”
The billboards come at an opportune time as the state’s Environmental Improvement Board continues their hearing to discuss implementing more stringent rules to cut emissions from the oil and gas industry and in advance of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Industry’s annual conference. Additionally, increased interest in so-called “clean” hydrogen and rising natural gas prices of late have rekindled some interest in actually increasing fossil fuel activity in New Mexico. The international scientific community wholly agrees that reducing fossil fuel activity is imperative to fighting climate change.
“We still remember when NMOGA announced a few years ago that they wanted to become ‘the most powerful organization in the state’ “ said Herndon. “We want them to remember that the people of New Mexico are, and always will be, the true power in the state.”
You can find more information about Crude Intentions at https://crudeintentionsnm.com/
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