Gov. Bill Richardson has signed the T. Boone Pickens’ Energy Independence Pledge, becoming the first Governor to do so.

“Governor Richardson is a former Secretary of Energy,” Pickens said in a statement. “He knows how dangerous the current situation is from a national security standpoint. And as a sitting Governor he also knows the economic risks of spending $700 billion a year importing foreign oil.”

Pickens was recently in Albuquerque to promote his energy independence plan which advocates huge wind farms throughout the plains areas, including Eastern New Mexico, and converting from gasoline-powered vehicles to those powered by natural gas. Richardson, it should be noted, didn’t say the plan was perfect.

While Governor Richardson said there are elements of the Pickens plan he is concerned about, he supports T. Boone Pickens in calling on the next President to develop immediately a comprehensive energy plan that reduces U.S. oil dependence and promotes renewable energy on a massive scale.

As of this writing, Richardson’s energy plan is available on the Web site from his former Presidential campaign. Richardson’s plan does not specifically mention wind or natural gas.