New Mexico Economic Development Department Cabinet Secretary Alicia J. Keyes and New Mexico Indian Affairs Department Cabinet Secretary Lynn Trujillo have issued the following statement regarding today’s visit by U.S. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland and Biden Administration Department of Energy officials to Farmington:
“Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration has worked as a team, partnering with local communities and tribes in the Four Corners Region to put in place strategic agreements and initiatives regarding the Energy Transition Act. Today’s announcements from the U.S. Department of Energy and the Department of Interior in Farmington regarding orphan wells; a commitment to coal communities; the Inflation Reduction Act; and the Interagency Rapid Response Team on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization present an unprecedented opportunity to leverage robust support into a clean, renewable economy with equity, fairness, and economic security for residents and tribal communities in Northwest New Mexico.
The federal partnerships are vital and we are hopeful that the Interagency Working Group will address federal challenges to economic development on sovereign nations. Our hope is that all government entities can work side-by-side to meet our shared climate goals.”
