The New Mexico State Land Office

The New Mexico State Land Office, under the direction of Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard, manages nine million surface and 13 million mineral acres across every county. This land, referred to as state trust land, was allocated to New Mexico by the Federal Government under the Ferguson Act of 1898 and the Enabling Act of 1910. The mission of the agency is to use state trust land to raise revenue for New Mexico public schools, hospitals, colleges, and other public institutions. The entities are the beneficiaries of revenue raised when the Land Office does business on state trust land. Revenue is raised by leasing land for oil, gas, and mineral exploration, business and commercial operations such as renewable energy projects, agriculture and livestock grazing, outdoor recreation opportunities, and much more. In 2019, the Land Office raised over $1 billion for the public institutions it supports for the first time in the history of the office, with an estimated saving to the taxpayer of $1,500 for the year. The Land Office accomplished that feat three years in a row and earned over $2 billion in Fiscal Year 2022.