Texas House Speaker wants lawmakers to look into annexing part of New Mexico

Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better, it seems.

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows directed lawmakers to explore the possibility of adding part of New Mexico to the Lone Star State in his list of 2027 legislative priorities. 

The Lubbock Republican’s interim charges released Wednesday include direction to “study the constitutional, statutory, fiscal and economic implications” of adding “one or more” contiguous counties of New Mexico to Texas.

Though there’s no word on how exactly this land exchange might transpire, a spokesperson for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said New Mexico is not on board regardless.

“We have every intention of keeping the great state of New Mexico fully intact,” communications director Michael Coleman said in a statement to the Journal. “Texas is welcome to study this ridiculous proposal all they want. While they’re at it, they should also study how New Mexico has reduced methane emissions in the Permian Basin by half compared to their state. If Texas followed our lead, it would be a win-win for Texans and the planet.”

The Permian Basin — located in Lea, Eddy, Chaves and Roosevelt counties to the southeast and neighboring parts of Texas — is rich in oil and gas. New Mexico produced 745 million barrels of oil last fiscal year, yielding $1.7 billion in severance taxes, according to the New Mexico Board of Finance.

The Land of Enchantment is the second-largest oil producer in the country, behind Texas.

New Mexico House Speaker Javier Martínez, D-Albuquerque, said in a statement that Burrows should “get offline, touch some grass, and get his own House in order.”

“I am certain Texans would much rather see their elected leaders come up with real solutions to the soaring health care, grocery and energy prices brought on by the reckless actions of President Donald J. Trump and his Republican friends in Washington, D.C.,” Martínez said. “We’re good.”

The proposed annexation comes on the heels of an unsuccessful secession attempt brought before the New Mexico Legislature earlier this year.

The resolution would have allowed New Mexico voters to choose whether they wanted their counties to leave the state.

Rep. Randall Pettigrew, R-Lovington, one of the sponsors of the measure, said he proposed secession to “create conversation” about the cultural and financial divides between southeast New Mexico and the rest of the state.

Lea and Eddy counties contribute greatly to the state’s general fund via oil and gas revenue and do not see significant returns, Pettigrew said.

“We have no seat at the table when it comes to policy,” he said.

Pettigrew said a representative from Burrows’ office contacted him toward the end of the legislative session in February when it became clear his proposal to secede would not be heard in a committee, which would have been necessary for it to move forward.

“I should have had a hearing on it — at least one hearing on it — based on the time that I submitted it,” he said.

New Mexico’s own House speaker has something he can learn from Burrows, he added.

“He needs to wake up and see that the culture and the frustration from southeast New Mexico is real, and our voice needs to be heard,” Pettigrew said.

As far as becoming a part of Texas, Pettigrew said it’s not his intention.

“I’m born and raised New Mexican,” he said. “It’s not my desire to secede into Texas. But it is my desire to fix New Mexico.”

Natalie Robbins covers education for the Journal. You can reach her at nrobbins@abqjournal.com.