A Democrat sponsored house bill aims to ban fracking nationwide by 2025. The bill, which was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.), U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), could cost New Mexico 142,000 jobs (15.8 percent of the state’s workforce) and eliminate $86 billion in cumulative gross domestic product (GDP) through 2025.
New Mexican Congressional delegates have opposed past proposals by Democrat presidential hopefuls to implement a nationwide ban, as did U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM). U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small said she would not support the bill, as a ban on fracking would cut off an essential supply of public dollars to New Mexico to pay for public schools and other services. Read more HERE.