SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard has issued the following statement in celebration of Earth Day tomorrow, April 22, 2026:
“Earth Day is the perfect time to celebrate all of the natural wonders that surround us in New Mexico,” Commissioner Garcia Richard said. “It has been the honor of my lifetime to serve as the state’s Land Commissioner and to protect our land, water, air, and wildlife every single day. By teaming up with local communities and key stakeholders – the people who have utilized these natural resources on a daily basis for centuries – we have been able to put meaningful protections in place for beloved landscapes like Chaco Canyon, the Upper Pecos Watershed, and Caja del Rio. This year’s Earth Day theme, ‘Our Power, Our Planet,’ emphasizes the importance of working together to meet the climate challenges ahead of us, and that’s exactly how we’ve approached conservation efforts during my time here. We’re also turning New Mexico into a national leader in clean energy development and have increased renewable energy by eightfold. And our Accountability & Enforcement program is changing the way the oil and gas industry does business for the better, bringing companies to account when they make messes on state lands.”
During her time in office, Commissioner Garcia Richard has prioritized policies and projects that protect New Mexico’s land, water, wildlife, and cultural resources. Her ongoing commitment to conservation is critical in the face of the Trump administration’s attacks on public lands and the environment.
Commissioner Garcia Richard issued an executive order to protect over 72,000 acres of state land in the Greater Chaco region from oil and development. She has also issued executive orders to prevent mineral development on over 2,500 acres of state land in the Upper Pecos Watershed and over 5,000 acres on the Caja del Rio Plateua. Two recent agreements will protect over 120,000 acres of state lands at Chupadera Mesa and Turkey Ridge from large, future developments – representing the second largest footprint of land protected by a conservation easement in the state’s history.
Commissioner Garcia Richard established an Office of Renewable Energy at the State Land Office and pushed legislation to codify the program into law. Since Commissioner Garcia Richard took office, there has been an eightfold increase in the amount of renewable energy under lease on state lands, from 400 megawatts in 2019 up to 3,271 megawatts today. She is also implementing a new geothermal leasing rule on May 1 to capitalize on the growing demand for geothermal development in New Mexico.
Commissioner Garcia Richard has also taken significant steps to hold companies accountable for damage caused to state lands. She launched the Accountability & Enforcement program in 2020, which has led industry to plug over 850 abandoned oil and gas wells at no cost to New Mexico’s taxpayers, saving the state at least $85 million.
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Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has earned about $14 billion for New Mexico public schools, hospitals, and universities. Over 13 million acres of state trust land are leased for a variety of uses, including ranching and farming, renewable energy, business development, mineral development, and outdoor recreation. The State Land Office has a dual mandate to use state trust land to financially support vital public institutions, while simultaneously working to protect the land for future generations.