Juan de Jesus Sanchez III

Data centers and energy development: Current Public Lands Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard rejected a request to run a natural gas pipeline across state trust land to serve Project Jupiter. Do you agree with that decision? Why or why not? More broadly, what role should the State Land Office play in determining whether and how large data centers are developed in New Mexico?

Oracle and Project Jupiter have done a poor job of communicating with the community and with Doña Ana County, and that has to change for a major project like this if they want to receive permits from state and local governments.

I believe that 0.6 miles of pipeline over land owned by New Mexico creates opportunities for negotiating better environmental protections and community input. The alternative is more than three miles of new pipeline on federal land outside the state’s control. This will leave New Mexico out of the decision-making process and hand it to the Trump Administration, which has shown zero interest in protecting local communities or considering environmental impacts.

The State Land Office has a major role to play in regulating development of potentially disruptive projects like data centers, including whether they should be built and what kinds of rules they have to follow. I currently support a data center moratorium until state legislators can put in guardrails to support our communities and look out for our air, water, and land.

Oil, gas and renewable energy: Revenue from oil and gas production on state trust lands helps fund New Mexico's public schools and other beneficiaries, while renewable energy development offers additional opportunities. How would you balance continued oil and gas production with expansion of renewable energy and the state's environmental responsibilities?

Currently oil and gas provides about 97% of the revenue for the State Land Office. While this creates significant revenue when oil prices are high, it also results in a boom-and-bust cycle due to external forces like the president’s war with Iran. I believe we need to diversify and stabilize our revenue sources with renewable energy where there is immense potential for growth.

The State Land Office has a huge opportunity to incentivize the renewable industry to come to New Mexico with wind, solar, and geothermal, especially at a time when the federal government is pulling away from renewable energy and canceling projects. My office will hold all industries to the highest standards for protecting and stewarding our natural resources - including by supporting higher bonding rules that make sure oil and gas producers pay their fair share for cleanup.

Public lands and competing interests: State trust lands serve a variety of purposes, including agriculture, grazing, recreation, conservation and commercial development. When these interests conflict, what principles would guide your decisions about how those lands should be used?

I grew up on state trust lands, and I know the importance of stewardship and preservation for future generations. I believe there’s a balance to be struck between revenue and protecting our public resources, including by diversifying their use.

I will expand revenue opportunities for recreation and land restoration so that people can enjoy the beauty of New Mexico while contributing to their local communities through activities like hunting, hiking, and watershed restoration. Commercial development and agriculture are also essential to New Mexico’s economy. I will always be guided by the principles of stewardship and preservation so that future generations of New Mexicans can manage the land and enjoy it. That includes outdoor recreation and agriculture development, which can coexist with one another.

Priorities and accountability: What do you believe is the most significant challenge facing the State Land Office over the next four years, and what specific action would you take as commissioner to address it?

I believe the greatest task of the State Land Office is to protect our lands and our ability to create revenue from them not just for today but also for future generations. The Trump Administration is currently making every attempt to undermine New Mexico’s ability to protect our people, whether by attempting to open the Pecos River headwaters to irresponsible mining exploration, pushing for oil and gas drilling at sacred sites like Chaco Canyon, or bringing back uranium mining operations that have harmed countless New Mexicans.

I believe the Land Commissioner must forcefully push back against this assault on our state and its people and protect the interests of New Mexico. That includes enforcing rules like making oil and gas pay its fair share for cleanup and environmental protections with increased bonding. At a time when the cost of living is skyrocketing, oil companies are paying for bonding like it’s the 1980s. That’s going to change, and I will always use the resources of the State Land Office to benefit New Mexico’s families.

The Bulletin asked each Dona Ana County candidate four questions to allow voters to assess where the candidates stands on important issues heading into the election. The questions vary for each office, but are the same for every candidate running for the same office.

We attempted to wait to publish until we heard from all candidates for a race, but in this race, we have not received a response from Michael Jack Perry, the Republican candidate for Land Commissioner. If we can get a response from his campaign this week, we will run his answers in the Oct. 30 edition of the Bulletin.