Top Issues
Opinion piece: Report on economic development incentives is incomplete
The following appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican on June 6, 2026. It appeared in other papers across the state. Recently the Legislative Finance Committee produced a report in which (to summarize the findings) they made the…
RGF President discusses AI data centers on “Powering America” podcast
In the latest episode of the Powering America Podcast, Paul Gessing, president of the Rio Grande Foundation, discusses data centers and energy policy in New Mexico. Gessing highlights the state’s potential for data center…
Opinion piece: SPEED Act would be a win for Left and Right
The following appeared in the Eastern New Mexico News on May 5, 2026, and in several other New Mexico media outlets. Federal legislation known as the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED Act)…
RGF talks to KOAT 7: What ever happened to taxpayers-subsidized Unser Crossing?
New Mexico has a long history of spending taxpayer dollars on failed developments that don’t pan out. Going back nearly 20 years to the Unser Crossing development (originally slated for Unser and Central) was one such plan.…
RGF in Las Cruces Sun News: Las Cruces overspent. It’s time to cut | Opinion
The following appeared in the Las Cruces Sun-News on April 26, 2026. After years of overspending the City of Las Cruces, like Albuquerque, faces a budget deficit. Unlike Albuquerque which has lost people, Las Cruces…
RGF calls out City of Albuquerque for wasteful turf spending in KOAT Channel 7 story
A few years ago the City of Albuquerque spent $235,000 for turf (in Rio Rancho) for the Duke City Gladiators. The team folded and a new arena team by a different name now plays at State owned Tingley Coliseum. What happened…
A closer look at the universal childcare suit brought by Governor candidate Duke Rodriguez
Republican gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez has (so far) successfully challenged the creation by Gov. MLG of her “free” childcare program. You can read various perspectives on the case here. Here’s our take: Clearly,…
Opinion piece: New Mexico should take advantage of federal education tax credit
The following appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican on April 24, 2026. I read state Rep. Raymundo Lara’s recent article in The New Mexican with disbelief (“N.M. should reject ‘education freedom’ farce,” My View, April 10). In…
Understanding spending and its growth under Gov. MLG
A policy blogger named Maria Davidson recently started posting a series of charts contrasting the growth in state spending vs the growth in the same state’s population over the past decade (one for California is linked). I…
Opinion piece: Curley effect is keeping N.M. stagnant
The following appeared on April 5, 2026 in the Santa Fe New Mexican. The article also appeared in papers across New Mexico. I recently came across a concept called the Curley Effect. It has nothing to do with Larry and Moe.…
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