FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: May 24, 2023

Contact:

Joey Keefe, Assistant Commissioner of Communications

505.470.2965

jkeefe@slo.state.nm.us

Commissioner Garcia Richard Testifies on Proposed BLM Rule to Prioritize Health of Public Lands to U.S. House Subcommittee
Proposed rule would clarify conservation as a “use” of public lands

SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard testified today to the U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations regarding a rule proposed by the Bureau of Land Management to consider “conservation” a public land use and prioritize the health and ecosystems of those lands. Commissioner Garcia Richard’s testimony today focused on the fragmented nature of public lands in New Mexico, and how conservation leasing could be on par with the State Land Office’s approach to honor its mission to earn money for school and other institutions while maintaining the health of public lands for the benefit of future generations.

Excerpt of Commissioner Garcia Richard’s Testimony:

“Our ability to continue to generate money for education is directly tied to the health and the productivity of state lands. Conservation leasing must be part of a balanced portfolio of uses as we work to ensure the health and resiliency of our public lands for current and future generations.

“I would also like to emphasize that this rule isn’t about “taking public lands away.” It is about explicitly allowing another type of use, which can often occur alongside other lands uses. There may be times where various uses are incompatible, but there are also going to be many instances where there are not any conflicts.

“Lastly, the rule recognizes the importance of making sound management decisions based on science and incorporating Indigenous Knowledge shared by Tribal communities. The pressing challenges of climate change cannot be understated. We need more resilient lands and ecosystems. And to get there, we should learn from our traditional and Tribal communities.”

Read the full testimony here.

Watch a recording of the hearing here.

Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has raised more than $5 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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: May 9, 2023

Contact:

Joey Keefe, Assistant Commissioner of Communications

505.470.2965

jkeefe@slo.state.nm.us

Commissioner Garcia Richard Denounces Federal Approval of Holtec Nuclear Dump Site

SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has issued a statement regarding the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s decision today to issue a license for the construction of Holtec International’s nuclear storage facility in Lea County.

Statement from Commissioner Garcia Richard:

“This is a bad idea, full stop. Placing a nuclear storage facility in the heart of oil and gas operations is a recipe for ecological disaster and unnecessarily puts New Mexicans at risk. Since being elected Land Commissioner, I have been opposed to making New Mexico the permanent home for nuclear waste because of the threats to New Mexicans’ health, safety, and economic development.  We shouldn’t let unelected bureaucrats in Washington jam through this shaky proposal that will bring massive profits to an out-of-state company with a troubled safety record, while putting our people and environment in harm’s way.  Bottom line, the world’s most active oil and gas producing field is not the right place for a long-term nuclear waste storage site. Holtec needs to understand that New Mexico is not the nation’s dumping ground and should stop misleading the public about the dangers their proposal presents.”

The proposed waste dump site is located in the middle of the Permian Basin, one of the world’s most productive oil and gas regions.  Nearly 2,500 oil, gas, and mineral wells or sites are operated by 54 different businesses or entities within a 10-mile radius of the proposed site. Locating an interim nuclear storage site above active oil, gas, and mining operations raises serious safety concerns. Also threatened by the site would be the billions of dollars in annual revenue that State Land Office leases generate for education in New Mexico.

Additionally, the surface and mineral estates have split ownership at the proposed site, with the Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance LLC owning the surface land and the State of New Mexico, through the State Land Office, owning the mineral estate beneath the land. Holtec has falsely claimed to have secured agreements from oil and gas operators at or around the site to restrict these activities, specifically assuring the NRC that oil and gas drilling will only occur at depths greater than 5,000 feet.  However, there are no such agreements containing these restrictions in place with oil and gas lessees at the site or the State Land Office.  One agreement has been made with Intrepid Mining, LLC, a potash mining company, but that agreement has not been approved, as required by lease terms, by the State Land Office. 

Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has raised more than $5 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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2023

 Contact:

Joey Keefe, Assistant Commissioner of Communications

505.470.2965

jkeefe@slo.state.nm.us

State Land Office Enforcement Efforts Result in Plugging of 200 Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells
Clean-up costs shouldered entirely by industry, not taxpayers

SANTA FE, N.M. – New Mexico Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard announced today that more than 200 abandoned oil and gas wells on state lands have been plugged at no cost to New Mexico’s taxpayers since the State Land Office launched its historic Accountability and Enforcement Program in late 2020. Commissioner Garcia Richard created the program to ensure oil and gas producers and others that use state lands abide by lease terms and state rules requiring that lands be appropriately cleaned up at the companies’ expense. The program – which is entirely separate from recent federal spending to plug orphaned wells – has resulted in a nearly 20% decrease in the number of abandoned wells on state trust lands.  

“Our Accountability and Enforcement program keeps plugging away, compelling companies to pick up the messes they create on state lands and ensuring New Mexico’s taxpayers aren’t stuck with the bill,” said Commissioner Garcia Richard. “In just a few years this program has proven that we can require companies to clean up after themselves and still deliver billions of dollars in record revenues for our schools and other institutions. Our team has made historic strides in bringing environmental compliance to the forefront of our efforts. We’ve created a new satellite imagery program to identify spills and trespass, ramped up our royalty auditing to ensure what is due is what is actually paid, and we have established a new office staffed with environmental experts to focus on remediation and reclamation efforts. These tools will allow us to better manage our lands and hold industry accountable moving forward.”

The State Land Office regularly reviews oil and gas operations that may pose a serious environmental threat to state lands.  The specific measures developed by the Accountability and Enforcement Program, led by the State Land Office Legal Division in collaboration with other key divisions, include:

• Spill clean-up of oil, gas, produced water, and other extraction by-products
• Removal and/or surface reclamation of oil and gas infrastructure including wells, pads, disposal pits, storage tanks, pipelines, and lease roads
• Recovering royalty payments for oil and gas production in trespass

The State Land Office contacts producers first to give them an opportunity to plug inactive wells, remediate contamination, and take other measures that may be required on a voluntary basis.  Lessees and operators that fail to meaningfully respond are subject to further enforcement, including litigation.   

“We will continue using all available tools to bring companies into compliance so the state lands that fund our public education system are treated with proper care and any damage is promptly restored” said Ari Biernoff, General Counsel at the State Land Office. “While many lessees and operators act responsibly, this program exists for those who don’t – so that our state lands are protected for future generations and continue earning revenue for our schools.”

“The Accountability and Enforcement program is a perfect complement to the efforts of our Oil, Gas, and Minerals Division to further incorporate compliance with all lease terms into our standard operating practices,” said Greg Bloom, Assistant Commissioner of Mineral Resources. “This commitment to enforcement has not been a hinderance to our mandate to generate revenue. We continue to see record-breaking annual royalties of billions of dollars from oil and gas production on our state lands while we increase pressure on the oil and gas industry to simply meet their lease requirements and abide by New Mexico’s laws and regulations.”

Under this program, the agency also reviews business leases, salt water disposal easements, and other instruments covering a variety of industries for compliance. The Commissioner has also created the agency’s first-ever Environmental Compliance Office, which is focused on remediation and reclamation issues on state lands throughout New Mexico.

Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has raised more than $5 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.

SANTA FE, N.M. – Legislation to institutionalize renewable energy production at the State Land Office is now law, as Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed House Bill 95 today. In 2019, Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard established the Office of Renewable Energy within the State Land Office. Over the last four years, the agency has increased annual revenue from wind and solar power generation to over $12 million in fiscal year 2022, and more than tripled the amount of energy under lease.

Prior to Commissioner Garcia Richard’s term, renewable energy development was largely absent from the agency’s revenue portfolio. HB 95, which was sponsored by Reps. Tara Lujan and Debra Sariñana and Sen. Carrie Hamblen, codifies this function in statute and builds on its early successes. Establishing a permanent office dedicated to the development of wind and solar power on state lands should also help New Mexico get closer to meeting the new standards for statewide renewable energy development outlined in the Energy Transition Act, which became law in 2019. 

“With abundant wind and solar resources at our disposal across the state, it would be foolish not to aggressively pursue renewable energy development. Thanks to this legislation, New Mexico is now well-positioned to be a national leader in this booming sector,” said Commissioner Garcia Richard. “The fact that we were able to triple renewable energy on state lands in just a few short years shows that there is a strong appetite for growing the industry in the state. I thank Representatives Lujan and Sariñana for recognizing the important role this program plays in diversifying revenue sources for the public schools and institutions that rely on these earnings and for sponsoring this bill.”

“As renewable energy becomes an increasingly important part of New Mexico’s energy future, we have to make sure that this burgeoning industry has the support it needs to flourish,” said Rep. Lujan. “With our economy and climate at stake, we have a responsibility to ensure we deliver on New Mexico’s potential to be a clean energy leader.”

“Our public education system and many other critical public institutions rely on the revenue generated by the State Land Office,” said Rep. Sariñana. “Creating the Office of Renewable Energy within the Land Office will allow us to meet New Mexico’s energy needs in ways that are sustainable and supportive of our just transition to clean energy.”

There are currently 27 leases for wind energy production either operational or under development on state lands, totaling about 1.6 gigawatts of wind power – roughly the amount of energy needed to power 320,000 homes. In June 2022, Commissioner Garcia Richard awarded leases to Pattern SC Holding LLC (Pattern Energy) to construct what will become the largest wind farm in the Western hemisphere and is projected to generate $431 million of revenue for the State Land Office over the lifetime of the project. Additionally, there are currently 12 leases for solar energy production either operational or under development on state lands, totaling about 273.5 megawatts of solar power, or enough energy to power roughly 54,700 homes.

A map of current wind projects is available here, and a map of current solar projects is available here.

Revenue that the State Land Office generates from sources that do not permanently deplete resources, such as renewable energy, are distributed directly to public schools, universities and other institutions each month.

Since its creation, the Office of Renewable Energy has been housed in the Commercial Division at the State Land Office. The office and its four full-time employees are funded under the agency’s existing base operating budget and no additional positions or funding are required to establish the office.

Commissioner of Public Lands Stephanie Garcia Richard has overseen the New Mexico State Land Office since 2019. In that time the agency has raised more than $5 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.