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A Republican push to make drilling cheaper on federal land is creating new fiscal pressure for states that depend on oil and gas revenue, most notably in New Mexico as it expands early childhood education and saves for the future.The shift stems from the sweeping law President Donald Trump signed in July that rolls back the minimum federal royalty rate to 12.5%. That rate the share of production value companies must pay to the government held steady for a century under the 1920 Mineral Leasing Act. It was raised to 16.7% under the Biden administration in 2022.Trump and Republicans in Congress say the rate reset will boost energy production, jobs and affordability as the administration clears the way for expanded drilling and mining on public lands.States receive nearly half the money collected through federal royalties, depending on where production takes place. The environment and economics research group Resources for the Future estimates a roughly $6 billion drop in collections over the coming decade.The stakes are highest in New Mexico, the largest recipient of federal mineral lease payments. The state could could forgo $1.7 billion by 2035 and as much as $5.1 billion by 2050, according to calculations by economist Brian Prest at Resources for the Future.More than one-third of the general fund budget in the Democratically-led state is tied to the oil and gas industry.“New Mexico’s impact is way bigger than Wyoming or Colorado or North Dakota,” Prest said, “and that’s just because that’s where the action is on new development.”The effects will unfold gradually, since federal leases allow a 10-year window to begin drilling and production. Still, state officials say they’re already prepping for leaner years.“It all hurts when you’re losing revenues,” said Democratic state Sen. George Muoz of Gallup, who said lawmakers still hope to invest more in mental health care and support Medicaid, even if federal royalty payments decline. “We’ve learned that until the chicken’s got feathers, we’re not even looking at it.”The higher federal royalty rate was in place for roughly three years while leasing activity was muted, Prest said. New Mexico budget forecasters never tallied the additional income. New Mexico’s nest-egg strategy A nearly five-fold surge in local oil production since 2017 on federal and state land in New Mexico delivered a financial windfall for state government, helping fund higher teacher salaries, tuition-free college, universal free school meals and more.The state set aside billions of dollars in investment trusts for future spending in case the world’s thirst for oil falters, including a early childhood education fund to help expand preschool, child care subsidies and home wellness visits for pregnancies and infants.The state’s investment nest egg has grown to $64 billion, second only to Alaska’s Permanent Fund. Earnings from the trusts are New Mexico’s second-biggest source for general fund spending.That sturdy financial footing shaped a defiant response to this year’s federal government shutdown, when lawmakers voted to subsidize the state’s Affordable Care Act exchange, cover food assistance and backfill cuts to public broadcasting.But lawmakers reviewing state finances last week learned that predictable income fell 1.6% the first contraction since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.Muoz said matters would be worse if the state had not raised its own royalty rates this year to 25%, from 20%, for new leases on prime oil and gas tracts, while ending a sales moratorium, under legislation he co-sponsored this year. Universal free child care under scrutiny The slowdown has cast uncertainty over a universal free child care initiative launched by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last month.Some fellow Democrats in the Legislature have balked at a proposed $160 million spending increase. State Rep. Meredith Dixon of Albuquerque said hundreds of families earning more than $320,000 annually could qualify for free child care despite not needing it.“Universal child care is a fantastic idea,” said Dixon, a Democrat. “I 100% don’t agree with this approach.”Lawmakers are also under court order to carry out a remedial plan to improve K-12 education for Native American students and others from low-income households. New Mexico has long ranked near the bottom nationally on education outcomes, with lagging test scores and low graduation rates. Encouraged in Alaska After New Mexico, the states receiving the most federal oil and gas royalties are Wyoming, Louisiana, North Dakota and Texas.Texas, the nation’s top oil producer, shares the bountiful Permian Basin with New Mexico but has far less federal land and therefore less exposure to changes in royalty policy.In Alaska, state officials say they are encouraged by the royalty cut, seeing potential for increased development in places like the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, where the massive Willow project approved in 2023 and now under development is viewed by some as a catalyst for further activity. The reserve is expected to hold its first lease sales since 2019.“If reduced federal royalty rates stimulate new leasing, exploration and production, that also could increase other kinds of revenue,” said Lorraine Henry, a spokesperson for Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources.In North Dakota, federal royalties are split evenly between the state and county governments where drilling occurs. State Office of Management and Budget Director Joe Morrissette said the industry’s future remains difficult to forecast.“There are so many variables, including timing, price, availability of desirable tracts, and federal policies regarding exploration activities,” Morrissette said. Associated Press writers Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; and Jack Dura in Bismark, North Dakota, contributed.
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It might surprise people that my husband and I pay a financial planner, given that I spend a lot of time on financial, tax, and investment planning at work. However, hiring a planner has delivered a return that can’t be quantified: peace of mind.Here are some key reasons we pay for financial advice.1) We wanted a second opinion on a few important decisions.I wanted a different perspective on less-familiar subjects, such as handling employer stock, and whether we needed long-term care insurance. We could have confronted both issues on our own, but having professional guidance helped us move forward more confidently.2) We found a business model that makes sense for our situation.We were delighted to find a financial planning firm that could work with us on an hourly basis to address our specific questions, rather than ongoing portfolio management. Paying for financial advice on an ongoing basis, via an assets-under-management fee or other arrangement, can be right for some people. Shop around to find a business model that fits with the type and level of service you need. This requires clarity on what you want.Most holistic financial planners, including ours, are uncomfortable answering questions without fully understanding your financial situation. My question about long-term care insurance seemed straightforward, but our planner could only answer confidently if she understood our retirement assets, expected Social Security, and anticipated in-retirement spending. A good-quality planner needs time to review your total situation before giving answers. (I consider it a red flag if a planner is willing to give targeted advice without a comprehensive review.) That can mean more fees than you anticipated.3) It gave us an impetus to get, and stay, organized.A holistic financial planner also requires you to share a lot of informationstatements for all your financial accounts, tax returns, pay stubs, and so forth. If you’re paying hourly, it’s in your best interest to gather all that documentation yourself rather than turning over piles of disorganized paperwork. Gathering the documents was not a light lift, but I was able to cull a lot of financial paperwork through that process. That initial organization blitz has continued to pay dividends: We maintain just a small sheaf of financial documents and can readily access anything we need.4) We love having a succession plan.As an unexpected benefit to working with a planner, they now have current information on every financial relationship we have: our bank accounts, company retirement plans and IRAs, and insurance policies. Our accounts are linked to the firm’s financial planning portal so that our planner can see what’s happening with them in real-time, without needing fresh documents. Any of the planners in the firm could also access our information in a pinch. If something happened to us, our loved ones would have a one-stop resource to help them sort things out. You can keep scrupulous records and develop your own succession plan, but storing all of our documentation with a third party helps alleviate worries about records being damaged or lost.5) A third party can help give us “permission to spend.”My husband and I don’t deprive ourselves, but we’ve spent our lifetimes earning and saving. Turning the spending switch “on” in retirement could be mentally challenging. Our planner’s retirement projections (including stress tests for big market downdrafts and tax-law changes) have provided tremendous peace of mind. There are other avenues to help with the “permission to spend” problem, but for me a financial planner can provide a lot of value in this context. For our own peace of mind as we age, it’s a relationship we plan to maintain. This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. For more personal finance content, go to https://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance.Christine Benz is director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar.Related Links When IRS Guidance Goes Wrong: How to Avoid Costly IRA Mistakeshttps://www.morningstar.com/retirement/when-irs-guidance-goes-wrong-how-avoid-costly-ira-mistakes A Checklist for Retirees to Finish This Yearhttps://www.morningstar.com/retirement/checklist-retirees-finish-this-year 4 Smart Moves to Cut Your 2025 Tax Bill Under New Ruleshttps://www.morningstar.com/personal-finance/4-smart-moves-cut-your-2025-tax-bill-under-new-rules Christine Benz of Morningstar
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In a surprising move, Trump Media and Technology Group (DJT) said on Thursday that it is fusing itself to a fusion company. The company will merge with TAE Technologiesa privately held fusion energy firm thats backed by Alphabet, Chevron Technology Ventures, and othersin a deal thats worth more than $6 billion. Its an all-stock deal, which is expected to close sometime next year, and is a huge and eyebrow-raising move for Trump Media, which is best known as the owner of President Trumps social media platform, Truth Social. When all is said and done, shareholders of both companies will own approximately 50% of the combined company on a fully diluted equity basis, per the company release. Following the announcement, DJT shares jumped nearly 30% during premarket trading. The stock was up almost 35% in early trading on Thursday as of this writing. However, shares are down nearly 70% year to date, and are down roughly 92% from their peak in March 2022. Why is this merger happening? As for the logic behind the surprising merger, the combined company aims to build massive fusion power plants that can supply energy to power the ongoing AI boom. In 2026, the combined company plans to site and begin construction on the worlds first utility-scale fusion power plant (50 MWe), subject to required approvals,” the company’s statement reads. “Additional fusion power plants are planned and expected to be 350 500 MWe.” It added: Fusion power plants are expected to provide economic, abundant, and dependable electricity that would help America win the A.I. revolution and maintain its global economic dominance. Devin Nunes, chairman and CEO of Trump Media and a former California congressman, echoed the sentiment in a statement included in that releasein true Trumpian fashion. Trump Media & Technology Group built uncancellable infrastructure to secure free expression online for Americans, and now were taking a big step forward toward a revolutionary technology that will cement Americas global energy dominance for generations, he said, adding that “fusion power will be the most dramatic energy breakthrough since the onset of commercial nuclear energy in the 1950s.” Notably, there are not currently any operating fusion power plants. A report published in October by the Clean Air Task Force, a nonprofit environmental group, counts 29 fusion energy startups in the U.S. that have attracted significant funding in recent years. Further, the latest annual survey from Fusion Industry Association found that 75% of respondents dont expect fusion power plants to start supplying energy to the grid until the 2030s.
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