HIGH STAKES

From White Sands to the Four Corners to Lordsburg and Raton, New Mexico has 13 million acres of rich mineral resources and wildlife habitat generating hundreds of millions of dollars each year for our public schools, universities, and hospitals –all while lowering the tax burden on New Mexico families by an average of $1000 a year.

“The past is prologue to the future” they say, so the decisions we make today will profoundly affect every generation of New Mexicans. With this in mind, we deserve a leader that puts our health, and our family’s health, prosperity and well-being ahead of short-sighted deals with damaging long-term consequences.

We must continue to oppose any agreements or practices that will damage or destroy precious lands, or negatively affect our water, wildlife, and our citizens.
My record as such a leader speaks for itself. During my previous time as Land Commissioner, we accomplished the following:

• Generated record leasing revenues for our schools and public institutions.
• Healed damaged lands and cleaned up thousands of acres of polluted land and waterways.
  Created thousands of jobs.
• Rapidly expanded the State’s transition to new and clean energy alternatives, including wind, solar and geothermal energy.
• Initiated the “One Health” approach to land management.

Together we accomplished this in a transparent, ethical and inclusive way.

Our natural resources are vast, and their contribution is critical to our State. My record and my word assure that I will work closely with our lessees, local communities, sovereign tribes, and local, state, and federal agencies to protect the health and productivity of our State Trust Lands.

CRITICAL ISSUES

So, why should we care about the Land Office and its leadership?

The position of New Mexico’s elected State Land Commissioner  has more authority and autonomy than any other elected official in New Mexico.  The Land Commissioner can sell, long-term lease, or trade State Trust Lands without anyone else’s approval.  Our team will serve with integrity and transparency.  I believe whole heartedly that this elected office is our sacred trust.

• Clean Renewable Energy

In a state that is second in available sunlight, has abundant wind in the eastern plains, and is blessed top to bottom with underground geothermal resources, New Mexicans have all we need to craft our own clean renewable energy future.

Thousands of new, healthy and well-paying jobs can be created to build and operate the facilities needed to generate renewable energy, to manufacture and install the millions of solar panels and thousands of wind turbines, and to create a new energy grid to export excess renewable energy.

We must join together in creating this clean-energy future that will convert our state’s economy to one that is powered by New Mexico’s sunshine, wind, and geothermal resources.  If we want a safe and healthy climate, New Mexico’s clean energy resources are the engine for our economic development.

• Economic Development and Collaborative Partnerships

During our previous administrations we developed business parks on State Trust Land that included the Sandia Science and Technology Park in Albuquerque, Lea County Business Park, and the  Business District at Mesa del Sol.  These projects generated over 5000 jobs that paid significantly more than those jobs found in the adjacent local communities. In addition, they generated significant revenues for the Land Trust and tax revenues for the state.  We must re-institute and re-energize this program of collaborative partnerships with the private sector and local communities.

• Championing Early Childhood Education while Generating Additional Revenues

Every student must have access to a first-class public education and to high quality health care beginning in early childhood.  We must be dedicated to helping develop sustainable funding, accountability and criteria to measure and ensure the success of this effort.

• One Health

We must protect the health and productivity of our State Trust Lands by re-establishing and strengthening a One Health approach to land management on Trust Land. One Health is an interdisciplinary decision-making approach that helps ensure the long-term health of plants, animals, people, and local communities.   

• Our People Come First – Public Lands Belong to the Public

Together we must oppose the transfer and privatization of our federal public lands. This land belongs to all Americans.  We must fight any attempts to usurp these precious lands for political or private purposes.   We must also oppose the unscientific and unregulated increases in predator control, and oppose the reduction and elimination of recreational opportunities and of access for sportsmen and recreationalists to State Trust Lands.