New Mexico governor thanks oil and gas industry, cheers hydrogen plan

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham thanked attendees of the New Mexico Oil And Gas Association’s annual meeting for their contributions to the economy.

Fossil fuel mining is the state’s largest government revenue source and directly funds education. While Gov. Lujan Grisham welcomed the gas and oil industry, she pledged to continue stricter regulation of methane emission and other byproducts of oil and gas extraction.

The governor is cheering recent investments in hydrogen fuel cell technology for their capabilities of storing energy and producing no carbon dioxide emissions. She promises to pass a bill next year to make New Mexico a hydrogen “hub, even though hydrogen production currently relies on fossil fuels inputs.

Climate activists are protesting Lujan Grisham’s speech.