I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
When Bill Richardson was listed as one of the nation’s “worst governors” by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) last week, it was well-publicized by the New Mexico press, including The Independent. The allegations of pay-to-play and political favoritism that CREW used for Richardson’s ranking have been widely covered here, which may be why a prominent conservation organization’s report on the very same day that essentially named Richardson the best governor the state has ever had received scant attention by comparison.
Richardson’s withdrawal of his name from consideration as the U.S. Commerce Secretary will likely overshadow some of the other elements of his legacy, including his work on environmental issues, which Conservation Voters New Mexico (CVNM) says, has been stellar.
CVNM is a political advocacy organization that issues a “scorecard” after each legislative session, ranking each legislator according to how they voted on key conservation and environmental measures. The group paid special attention to Richardson, since 2010 was his last regular session as governor:
It is impossible to recount, in such limited space, all of Governor Richardson’s environmental initiatives and actions… In the end, Governor Richardson’s legacy is New Mexico’s future. He has been great for the New Mexico we know and love, as well as for the New Mexico we will bequeath to future generations.
“He’s set the bar for all future governors,” said Conservation Voters New Mexico Executive Director Sandy Buffet in an interview. “He’s the best conservation governor our state has ever seen—he’ll leave a legacy that we can all be proud of.”
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service, the economic benefits of outdoor recreation, wildlife viewing, hunting, and fishing account for $823 million in annual state revenue, Buffet said, which is why future governors would be wise to pick up where Richardson left off.
Examples given by Buffet of the types of important environmental action during Richardson’s tenure include the “pit rule” put into place to protect groundwater during the drilling process in the oil and gas industry, the permanent protection of the Valle Vidal and Otero Mesa, and the investment in mass transit shown by the Rail Runner.
Then, there’s clean energy and climate change. CVNM’s scorecard describes Richardson as “aggressive” on climate change:
Fortunately, Governor Bill Richardson has taken an aggressive stance to address climate change. Over the course of his administration, he has fought for bold action on climate change through renewable energy standards, energy efficiency mandates, and participation in a regional program that would have capped greenhouse gas emissions (the Western Climate Initiative).
“He’s been fabulous on clean energy,” Buffet said. “The renewable energy standard we passed in 2007 is a benchmark that set an example for other states and the federal government.”
A lot of Richardson’s conservation acts are under the radar, Buffet said, because they’ve been preventative in nature.
“Many things that are done to protect public health and safety end up stopping something bad from happening,” she said. “Because polluters were put into compliance, or environmental disasters avoided, or that our air and water are cleaner than before–saying what hasn’t happened is hard to report on.”
Much of Richardson’s impact can be seen in the people he’s brought into his administration, she continued. For instance, Director of New Mexico Oil Conservation Division Mark Fesmire was given the group’s 2010 Conservation Hero Award for his work to develop measures to protect and improve New Mexico’s groundwater, including controversial “pit rules” that oil and gas industry leaders would like to see eliminated.
In developing its scorecard, CVNM says it selects legislative measures that “illustrate the key debates and fierce disagreement over conservation policy in the state.” In some cases, the votes included in the scorecard reflect procedural motions or votes on amendments rather than the final vote itself. Each legislator is given an overall ranking, which is compared to a “lifetime” score derived from past scorecards.
