Obama To Visit NM To Tout Energy Policies

President Obama will visit Carlsbad next week as part of a cross-country trip he’s making to highlight his energy policy.

On Wednesday, Obama will visit an oil and gas field located on federal lands near Carlsbad, the White House told the Journal today. Further details of the president’s New Mexico visit have not been released.

“President Obama will hold events to discuss his plan for an all of the above approach for American energy,” a White House official told the Journal. “He will travel to Boulder City, NV, Carlsbad, NM and Oklahoma City, OK on March 21, where he will spend the night.  On March 22, the president will visit the Cushing, OK area and Columbus, OH before returning toWashington.”

White House officials have fired up a new publicity campaign they’ve dubbed “All of the Above” to highlight Obama’s energy policies in the face of rapidly rising gas prices. Obama is concerned that high energy costs could derail a  recovering American economy and hurt him at the polls in November.

The Carlsbad area is home to more than seventy active drilling rigs, and Obama plans to highlight his efforts to expand domestic oil and gas production. The White House says domestic oil production is currently at an eight-year high and domestic natural gas production at an all-time high.

The conservative Carlsbad community in southeastern New Mexico isn’t exactly a hotbed of support for the Democratic president, but it is an important part of a swing state economy that relies heavily on oil and gas.