New Mexico’s Governor Leaves Out Key Details In Latest Solar Announcement

August 8, 2024

Yesterday, New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced another major solar project. The problem is she didn’t share the whole story. As her latest announcement arrives nearly one year to the day after her last major solar commitment, that is now missing deadlines and raising significant concerns.

The Albuquerque Journal reported on Maxeon’s Solar Technologies failures in New Mexico this past May,

“The company behind a more than billion dollar manufacturing project in Albuquerque is being investigated for violating federal securities laws, has seen a drop in stock value, delayed releasing its recent quarterly financial reports, and now has received a significant investment from a Chinese company to help the company’s balance sheet.”

According to reports, taxpayers will be on the hook for at least $11 million for the Governor’s latest project. Last year, the Governor said another solar company would begin construction on their facility “at the beginning of 2024.” However, the facility has yet to break ground, and stock for the company is currently valued at 16 cents a share. Power The Future Communications Director Larry Behrens had the following to say about the Governor’s announcement,

“It’s concerning that the Governor’s announcement doesn’t mention how much taxpayers will shell out for her latest project or a timeline for when it will start because we’ve seen this movie before. Governor Lujan Grisham is approaching six years in office offering promises of massive new jobs, but all we’ve seen is her throw more of our good money after bad. The reality is New Mexico’s unemployment rate remains in the bottom half of the country and more empty promises aren’t going to help.”

Solar is not just an unreliable energy source but also an unreliable job source. This week, we saw 350 California employees be laid off as solar company SunPower filed for bankruptcy. New Mexico and California should be warning signs of what happens when the eco-left pushes a “clean energy” transition too quickly. People will lose jobs and reliable energy.