Issues?

I am beginning to wonder if anyone is starting to think about the upcoming June 6th Primary election. This year will be hard for many of the candidates trying to get some attention, and that includes me. All of the races at the top of the Democratic ballot are uncontested, those include Senator, Governor, Lt. Governor and the Congressional races. The contested races are all in the lower constitutionally mandated offices like Attorney General, Land Commissioner, Secretary of State, Auditor and Treasurer. These are all powerful but low visibility offices. These races by themselves will not turn out many voters, especially in a year when the news media has not done much reporting on the election. About the only indepth coverage has been done by blogs.

Today is filing day for how much money the candidates have raised. That will be the first big event for the media to report on. It might be one of the only issues that gets any attention for the next two weeks. The rest of the issues will be held until the last week or ten days. Even then there will be little interest and I will predict about a 30% turn out, although my predictions are usually low.

About the only media on my Land Office race so far has been a series of short interviews on KOAT TV.

One of the items I spoke with them about was my desire to create a new division within the land office. Here it is as written in a news release. It is an issue.

Jim Baca, candidate for State Land Commissioner, today announced that he will sharply increase the state’s involvement in renewable energy development when elected in November.

“Clean energy is going to be a major economic growth industry in the American West,” said Baca. “New Mexico has some of the world’s best potential for renewable energy development. We could produce literally thousands of jobs.”

Baca’s specific proposal is to create a renewable energy division in the State Land Office. Baca was skeptical of current commissioner Pat Lyons’ treatment of renewable energy development.

“The State Land Office should not be reactive. It should have an enterprise division to bring our clean energy resources to fast-growing western markets,” Baca stated. Baca pointed to a recent announcement by Lyons that a solar company will build a 300 MW photovoltaic electric plant. “Commissioner Lyons didn’t accomplish much due diligence on this proposal, which as yet has no financing, no transmission, no power contracts and no market identified. And he might have locked up one of New Mexico’s finest solar sites for a proposal that isn’t feasible. We should do more than wait for these kinds of deals to just walk in the door.”

Instead of reacting to these proposals, Baca believes the State Land Office should dedicate staff to identifying and marketing New Mexico’s solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal potential. “We should be identifying these sites, working with regional transmission and utility entities, and creating a competition for our clean energy resources,” said Baca. “The Richardson administration and the Land Office should work together on these new strategies and if I am elected we will do so,” Baca added.

Baca noted that California, with almost 40 million electric customers, has recently increased the amount of renewable energy its utilities are required to purchase. California has also adopted a policy requiring that new electric growth must be climate-friendly, meeting at least the greenhouse gas emissions profile of advanced natural gas generation. Colorado also adopted a renewable portfolio standard by referendum and Arizona is increasing its renewable energy requirements. Texas has also increased its demand for renewable energy.

“We are capable of developing tens of thousands of megawatts of clean energy for our neighbors in the West,” Baca stated. “Our Nation should not expand its imports of liquefied natural gas to provide energy that could easily and affordably be provided from New Mexico.”