Harry Montoya
Harry Montoya wants to decentralize power at the State Land Office.
The land commissioner has a lot of authority – and the previous commissioner has been criticized for making deals with developers and landowners without public involvement in the process.
Montoya, one of three Democrats running for land commissioner in the June 1 primary, said intentionally involving the public and local elected officials in deals involving state land is critical.
“Putting the public back in ‘public lands’” would become policy if Montoya is elected, he said.
“I believe planning should be from the bottom up, instead of the top down,” he said, adding that transparency would be an integral part of the process if he’s elected.
Montoya said he would also increase transparency by putting information about who holds public land leases online. People would be able to search the land office’s Web site to find contact information so they could let lessees know they were coming on the property.
Diversifying land use
Montoya’s other vision involves diversifying use of the land. Currently, 95 percent of the money made off state lands come from oil and gas leases. Montoya said he would focus on increasing the amount of land that is used for developing renewable energy.
The land office must partner with businesses to build wind and solar farms and transmission lines, in cooperation with local governments, he said.
Montoya, a Santa Fe County commissioner, has been working in that job on renewable energy issues. The county just installed its first wind turbine to help power its public works building. And the county is about to start taking advantage of a new state law that allows counties to create solar districts and help homeowners finance the installation of solar panels on their homes.
With his experience in mind, Montoya said he believes that after eight years as land commissioner he could realistically cut the amount of state trust land used for oil and gas drilling by 3-5 percent, with renewable energy projects replacing oil and gas on those lands.
“It’s not going to happen overnight,” he said. “This is going to take awhile.”
However, Montoya said, the state can’t forget oil and gas.
“That’s our golden goose right now,” he said, adding that he opposes policies such as the Richardson administration’s state cap-and-trade program. Montoya also wants to revisit the pit rule. He said it needs to be less prohibitive, while remaining environmentally conscious.
“I’m not saying pander to the oil and gas industry, but let’s work with them,” he said. “Let’s not drive them out of the state.”
Hispanics and American Indians
Montoya has been trailing in two polls (here and here) of the race, but he said he knows his path to victory.
“I’ve got to get the Hispanic vote and I’ve got to get the Native American vote,” he said.
Montoya said he can relate to the cultural history and background of such people, which is one reason they should support him. They care about a balance between development and preservation, and Montoya said he will strike that balance.
Montoya said he has received endorsements from at least seven pueblos in Northern New Mexico. He’s also received the endorsements of a number of local elected officials from around the state – most of them Hispanic.
Montoya faces Public Regulation Commissioner Sandy Jones and former Land Commissioner Ray Powell in the Democratic primary. The winner will face one of two Republicans — GOP activist Bob Cornelius or rancher Matt Rush.
A prior version of this posting incorrectly stated that 95 percent of state land is used for oil and gas leases.