{"id":667872,"date":"2019-01-15T07:00:15","date_gmt":"2019-01-15T14:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=667872"},"modified":"2019-01-15T08:40:08","modified_gmt":"2019-01-15T15:40:08","slug":"qa-new-nmed-boss-brings-a-commitment-to-go-big-on-environmental-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2019\/01\/qa-new-nmed-boss-brings-a-commitment-to-go-big-on-environmental-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"Q&#038;A: New NMED boss brings a commitment \u2018to go big on environmental issues\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_667875\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-667875\" src=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/kenney-11-771x605.jpg\" alt=\"James Kenney\" width=\"771\" height=\"605\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/kenney-11-771x605.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/kenney-11-336x264.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/kenney-11-768x603.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/kenney-11-1170x918.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/kenney-11.jpg 1177w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Laura Paskus \/ New Mexico Political Report<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">James Kenney<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Last week, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced more executive appointments, including James Kenney as Secretary of the New Mexico Environment Department. The next day, Kenney sat down with\u00a0<em>NM Political Report<\/em>\u00a0to talk about his vision for the agency.<\/p>\n<p>Though he hadn\u2019t officially started the job yet, the secretary-designate wanted to set a tone of transparency, which he expects to be \u201cubiquitous\u201d throughout state agencies under Lujan Grisham. Having a more transparent website and a social media presence, he said, will also help people \u201cfeel confident that their environment is healthy, that their community is robust, and \u2026 that NMED is out there doing its job, and that we\u2019re proud to implement our mission.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NMED doesn\u2019t exist within a vacuum, he said, and the department will work closely with other state agencies, tribes, communities and nonprofits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think being a cabinet secretary means that you use your ears more than your mouth,\u201d Kenney said. \u201cYou need to listen and work with communities to make sure that you\u2019re hearing them, and make sure that you\u2019re explaining to them what the science is, what the technical solutions are and what kind of innovations can result from environmental protection.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This article comes from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmpoliticalreport.com\/2019\/01\/10\/qa-with-incoming-nmed-head-a-commitment-to-go-big-on-environmental-issues\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Mexico Political Report<\/a>,\u00a0a nonprofit news organization\u00a0focused on promoting a greater public understanding of politics and policy in New Mexico.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Kenney noted that when Lujan Grisham addressed the public during her inauguration speech, she called New Mexico\u2019s environment \u201cour greatest legacy and our greatest resource.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think her statements are so akin to what NMED\u2019s mission is,\u201d he said, \u201cand there\u2019s such a commitment from her, through me, and through NMED, to go big on environmental issues.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>NMPR<\/em>\u00a0and Kenney met at the department\u2019s Albuquerque office and spoke for about 40 minutes. What follows is an edited excerpt of that interview.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NMPR:<\/strong>\u00a0Let\u2019s start with your background: You\u2019re a mystery to a lot of people. You\u2019re not a past [Gov. Bill] Richardson appointee, and you\u2019re coming to state government anew.<\/p>\n<p><strong>James Kenney:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019d been with [the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA] for 20-some years, with a little break in between. I\u2019m an engineer by education, I have a masters in engineering, and worked predominantly in the enforcement programs of EPA throughout my career, moving around the country with different programs.<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, during the Obama administration, then-Administrator Gina McCarthy had asked me to work on oil and gas issues, and I developed an expertise in that area, the nexus between energy and environment. As a result of that, I had the opportunity to move to New Mexico and continue on in an oil-and-gas-producing state, being the oil and gas adviser. That happened before the current federal administration took over, and then when they came in, I kept the position. I think I brought a lot of continuity and consistency, [and an] understanding of the technical issues and an understanding of the environment issues, and I think that\u2019s been much-appreciated at EPA.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Beyond that, I\u2019ve spent a lot of time doing Clean Air Act enforcement, Clean Water Act enforcement, working on [Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA] matters [and] working on the chemical industry, beyond oil and gas. I feel as though I\u2019ve been a jack-of-all-trades in the regulatory arena, whether it\u2019s been doing fieldwork or supporting litigation or writing state implementation plans under the Clean Air Act.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NMPR:<\/strong>\u00a0Can you talk more about where environment and energy intersect?<\/p>\n<p><strong>James Kenney:<\/strong>\u00a0In the role of a policy adviser, which I performed at EPA, when you\u2019re looking at that nexus of energy and environment, you\u2019re really looking at \u2018Where can we make the biggest strides in environmental protection?\u2019 [or] \u2018What are the biggest issues that are coming out of the energy sector?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Specific to oil and gas, a lot of folks think about fracking, and the potential contamination of groundwater, and on top of that, also about the produced water that comes out of those wells and how you manage that \u2014 [which is] a surface water issue that can lead to groundwater issues. Fracking and produced water can also lead to public drinking water concerns.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the water focus, [there are] air emissions, whether those are [volatile organic compound, or VOC] emissions that lead to ozone or whether those are methane emissions, which collaterally are emitted [\u2026and] are climate issues.<\/p>\n<p>Those are the areas that I was focused on and will continue to focus on within New Mexico, where you\u2019re looking at the science, the technology, how it affects communities, how it affects public health and you\u2019re trying to balance all that to make the best possible decisions that one can make, that further the vision of the department.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NMPR:<\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019re still getting up to speed, but what are some of the top issues that NMED is going to have to address right off the bat here in New Mexico?<\/p>\n<p><strong>James Kenney:<\/strong>\u00a0First and foremost, civil servants, public employees, have a tough time. I think one of the things that is really important to me is making sure that people who are at NMED are valued, are respected, are heard. That we\u2019re moving forward together, we\u2019re listening to each other. That\u2019s a really big issue for me. Having been a public employee, and having at moments felt undervalued, I think we need to really hold those folks up and value that they come to work every day and implement this mission.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond that, there are four points I\u2019m going to mention. I\u2019ll start with science. It\u2019s a good word. And we need to rely on science \u2014 for regulations, for policies, and for decision-making.<\/p>\n<p>Then, innovation. I think it\u2019s interesting that we as a society promote [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM] \u2014 and we should \u2014 and yet, as we start to roll out the engineering and technical solutions, we sometimes question those. I want to make sure that we in the Environment Department are cutting-edge and that we\u2019re relying on innovation through technology and innovation through engineering to implement good science, to implement good solutions for the environment.<\/p>\n<p>Collaboration is the third t. Something I\u2019ve been very successful with at EPA is ensuring that \u2014 whether it\u2019s the NGO community or industry, whether [it\u2019s] tribes or academia \u2014 that we all get in the room and we all work toward a common goal. I don\u2019t have any romantic ideas that we will always all agree. But I think we can build upon the science, we can build upon the innovation and we can collaborate and we can work toward solutions.<\/p>\n<p>The final piece of this is compliance. Without rules and regulations, and without our permits, and ensuring compliance with those, it\u2019s somewhat meaningless. We need to ensure a fair and level playing field \u2014 and [ensure] that the folks that we\u2019re trusting with that social license to operate, beyond the physical piece of paper, are actually doing what they say they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<p>Those four areas are \u2018big picture\u2019 for me. Thinking about those, and then thinking about all the things that are at the forefront of NMED, we\u2019re certainly going to move on a methane regulation and addressing climate issues.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s going to take [the four tenets I mentioned]: We\u2019re going to have to use science, we\u2019re going to have to innovate, we\u2019re going to have to collaborate and we\u2019re going to have to ensure whatever we put in place is enforceable and has a level playing field.<\/p>\n<p>I think it\u2019s important to note that not only have I seen this working in other states, it\u2019s working in other states [as a regulatory program or as part of an environmental agency program] while also bringing jobs. I don\u2019t subscribe to [the idea] that there\u2019s a mutual exclusivity here [between environmental protection and the economy]. I think that is old thinking.<\/p>\n<p>We also have a number of Superfund sites, we have a number of groundwater permits, we have a number of hazardous waste type permits. I want to ensure that there\u2019s somewhat of a larger system balance, meaning \u2026 we don\u2019t want any current operations to become Superfund sites. We want to ensure that those legacy sites are cleaned up, and we want to be sure ultimately that our groundwater and surface water and our land is as [clean] as possible. I want to take a step back and think about that, \u2018If we\u2019re having spill after spill after spill, what\u2019s the root cause? Can we change behavior?\u2019 So that we\u2019re not just cleaning up, but that we\u2019re preventing. I\u2019m confident that NMED is already doing that, but I want to take a step back and also think about it as well.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re a state that has a lot of private industry, and we\u2019re a state that also has a lot of federal installations. We have unique things here, like [the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP], like two national labs, and I want to have the equivalent relationships with those federal installations [as with the industries NMED regulates].<\/p>\n<p>And I say \u2018installations,\u2019 but I\u2019m also referring to things like federal lands, which aren\u2019t installations, but have a lot of environmental implications in terms of their leasing and mineral rights and things like that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NMPR:<\/strong>\u00a0Under the Richardson administration, NMED had been moving forward with studies and rules and programs focused on climate change. I think that\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/nmpoliticalreport.com\/356772\/up-in-smoke-opportunities-on-climate-renewables-shunned-during-martinez-administration-en\/&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjZsZOgiuLfAhUrGDQIHU_FBvUQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=014459360853321848196:xshjmmhaxm8&amp;usg=AOvVaw2HDdizJuV-mR2VqDGl2Oir\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"those all ended under Gov. Susana Martinez (opens in a new tab)\">those all ended under Gov. Susana Martinez<\/a>\u00a0in the last eight years. What role does NMED play when it comes to climate change in New Mexico?<\/p>\n<p><strong>James Kenney:<\/strong>\u00a0The Richardson administration ended\u2026 at the end of 2010, so look at the last eight years for example. The science has certainly shifted and changed, it\u2019s gotten better. The innovation, with respect to technology, has gotten much better. We have NASA-JPL imagery of a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/nmpoliticalreport.com\/2017\/06\/20\/new-study-confirms-again-new-mexicos-methane-hot-spot-largely-tied-to-oil-and-gas-pollution\/&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiN-vC0iuLfAhWuHTQIHeAhAe4QFggIMAE&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=014459360853321848196:xshjmmhaxm8&amp;usg=AOvVaw1w1saYI9KYszAlgOu04J16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"[methane] hotspot (opens in a new tab)\">[methane] hotspot\u00a0<\/a>in New Mexico. We have data analytics that can predict emissions, [we have climate models]. A lot has changed since that time. I think it merits looking at the investment that the state had made [during the Richardson administration], in thinking about what is still applicable, and marrying that up with what states are doing today, and what technology could allow us to do today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NMPR:<\/strong>\u00a0You\u2019re in a different role now, but one of the things EPA and NMED had been working on was a\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmpoliticalreport.com\/2018\/08\/10\/nm-officials-consider-options-to-reuse-oilfield-water-en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">produced water plan<\/a>, so I\u2019m curious where that\u2019s at?<\/p>\n<p><strong>James Kenney:<\/strong>\u00a0With respect to that particular\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.emnrd.state.nm.us\/wastewater\/documents\/Oil%20and%20Gas%20Produced%20Water%20Goverance%20in%20the%20State%20of%20New%20Mexico%20Draft%20White%20Paper.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"paper (opens in a new tab)\">paper<\/a>, there\u2019s been a serious investment in the treatment of produced water, there\u2019s been a financial, scientific investment [from private industry]. There will be more of it, and I think it makes for good governance for regulators to anticipate what\u2019s coming so that we can be as protective as we need to be, and yet still as competitive as we need to be as a state to bring those technologies in. The effort that the three state agencies and EPA made was merely a collaboration on what the existing rules allow for, and where those existing rules are unclear.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NMPR:<\/strong>\u00a0Like many state agencies, NMED has been underfunded and understaffed the past few years. [The current vacancy rate at NMED is as high as 18 percent.] Can you talk about that at all?<\/p>\n<p><strong>James Kenney:<\/strong>\u00a0[Note: Kenney is still being briefed on budget and staffing issues and couldn\u2019t speak to that issue right now.]<\/p>\n<p>Public service is a noble profession, and if you want to maintain the best science and the best people, we really need to make NMED and state government a robust place that people want to come in and work. Cuts like that \u2014 if we\u2019re down 18 percent or so \u2014 really mean people are doing a lot more than when they signed up.<\/p>\n<p><strong>NMPR:\u00a0<\/strong>Anything else our readers should know right now?<\/p>\n<p><strong>James Kenney:<\/strong>\u00a0I\u2019m not a native New Mexican, I elected to be here. This is where I want to be, and I want to be here because of the environment, because of the people, because of the culture, because of the red chile. So when I had the opportunity to come on board, to be in the place that I want to be, to be affiliated with a governor who I completely believe in her vision, it was a no-brainer \u2014 so I could be \u2018all in\u2019 in New Mexico. That to me, is the best part of this job.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>James Kenney sat down with\u00a0New Mexico Political Report\u00a0to talk about his vision for the state&#8217;s Environment Department.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":667875,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[431],"tags":[284,119,147,107],"class_list":["post-667872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-qa","tag-climate-change","tag-energy-policy","tag-environment","tag-roundhouse"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=667872"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":667879,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/667872\/revisions\/667879"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/667875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=667872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=667872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=667872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}