November 21, 2025

Are we facing an energy emergency? The answer may depend on your income, health risks, or even your age.

Think about family or neighbors who rely on medical equipment that must be plugged in — ventilators, dialysis machines and CPAP devices. The people who depend on them are at serious risk when the power goes out.

The threat is so real that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services tracks Medicare patients who rely on home medical devices. Nearly 50,000 people in New Mexico — 10% of Medicare recipients — are vulnerable during electric blackouts. That’s the third highest rate in the nation.

Unfortunately, outages are common — caused by bad weather, aging infrastructure, or other strains on the electrical grid. They can happen throughout the day or night and sometimes last for extended periods.

Last April, residents in Northern New Mexico went two days without power. Utilities try to alert communities, but vulnerable people often don’t get the message in time. For them, the energy emergency is not theoretical — it’s personal.

So how did we get here, and what’s the fix?

A major barrier is the difficulty of getting permits approved for projects that would strengthen the grid that supplies power to our communities and neighborhoods. Layers of government and years of environmental review slow the process. Even after that, lawsuits filed by activist groups create more delays.

According to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, only one in five transmission projects planned between 2000 and 2017 were operational by the end of 2022. Stanford University reports that nearly one in three major energy and infrastructure projects face litigation before construction even begins.

It took 17 years to build the SunZia transmission line across New Mexico, now delivering renewable wind power to customers in Arizona and California. The delays were caused by long environmental reviews and lawsuits.

The problem isn’t limited to electricity. The oil and natural gas industry faces similar roadblocks. Nationally, natural gas is used to generate 43% of electricity, 29% in New Mexico, and is currently the most reliable, affordable energy source fueling the grid. Yet, government red tape and legal delays get in the way of contributing more to meet our growing energy demands.

In 2022, a lawsuit challenged drilling permits in New Mexico and Wyoming, claiming potential harm to wildlife as far away as Hawaii and the Arctic. After three years, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., finally dismissed the case last summer. These kinds of delays show why reform is necessary and how they create real-life hardships for New Mexicans.

Here’s the good news: Congress has a chance to address these problems through permitting reform.

Lawmakers from both parties are working to streamline permitting for energy projects and place reasonable limits on litigation.

In the U.S. House, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the SPEED Act (Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development), which updates the National Environmental Policy Act to help agencies to complete reviews more efficiently.

Another bipartisan group, the Problem Solvers Caucus, released a policy framework to support electricity and pipeline projects, with legislation expected soon.

In the Senate, discussions are underway to build on bipartisan proposals introduced last session.

New Mexico’s leaders can play an important role in the process. Sen. Martin Heinrich, the senior Democrat on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, will help shape any permitting reform bill. Members of New Mexico’s House delegation will also sit on committees central to this effort.

In this era of political division, bipartisan support is necessary for our country and state to continue to move forward. For thousands of New Mexicans vulnerable to energy emergencies, it’s a step toward greater security and peace of mind.

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Melissa Simpson is president of Western Energy Alliance. Missi Currier is president and chief executive officer of New Mexico Oil & Gas Association. Jim Winchester is executive director of Independent Petroleum Association of New Mexico.