New Mexico Land Commissioner Pat Lyons announced today that he’ll run for a seat on the Public Regulation Commission next year, when term limits oust him from his current job.
As one of the most powerful regulatory boards in the nation, the PRC regulates utilities, telecommunications, transportation, railroad safety, natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines and insurance industries. It also oversees business and industry compliance, organization and registration.
Lyons, a Republican, will seek to replace District 2 Republican Commissioner David King, who is also term-limited from seeking re-election.
“Infrastructure is vital for society and the economy to function, and should be governed to protect the interests of the public. At the same time, we must sustain a healthy business climate,” Lyons said in a news release announcing his candidacy. “It can be delicate balance, but I have always taken a proactive role in fostering business and industry, and my sound business approach has made companies feel comfortable investing in New Mexico.”
District 2 encompasses all or part of 14 counties — Quay, Curry, Roosevelt, Lea, Eddy, Chaves, De Baca, Guadalupe, Santa Fe, Bernalillo, Torrance, Lincoln, Otero and Doña Ana.
Lyons is currently the only statewide elected Republican official, other than one judge on the appellate court. He has served two terms as land commissioner, overseeing an office that manages nine million acres of land and 13 million acres of mineral rights.
Lyons takes credit for increasing the amount of money brought in through use of state land for public education, and also for advancing the use of state land for renewable energy purposes. But he’s also had his fair share of controversy, most notably over a development scandal in Las Cruces.
Before being elected land commissioner, Lyons served 10 years in the New Mexico Senate. He’s a third-generation New Mexican from Cuervo, where he owns and operates the Lyons Ranch. Lyons and his wife live in Melrose. They have three children.