The Caja del Rio is once again in the limelight after New Mexico State Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard issued an executive order banning mineral leases and large transmission lines on the area’s state-owned land on Wednesday.
The new executive order applies to just under 3,500 acres of surface and 5,500 acres of subsurface mineral rights on the plateau’s landscape nestled just outside of Santa Fe, which is held sacred by tribal communities and is home to diverse wildlife and plants.
State trust lands, which are overseen by the State Land Office, generate revenue for its beneficiaries – such as schools and public institutions. This is done through leases and resource development.
State Land Commissioner Garcia Richard told KUNM that the executive order was spurred by advocacy to conserve the area’s wildlife and cultural resources.
“That’s what this executive order is,” Garcia Richard said. “It is naming this area of the Caja del Rio plateau as special, as significant, and in need of protection.”
Though Commissioner Garcia Richard said there’s a caveat.
“Unless there is financial consideration around the executive order, it’s not a legally binding document,” Commissioner Garcia Richard said. “So, another land commissioner could reverse it.”
The State Land Office’s ultimate goal is to make money, so an executive order that fails to do so could be easily reversed.
Garcia Richard is not allowed to run again for the office because of traditional term limits – so, once her stint is up in two years, she can’t stop any future projects.
The announcement comes as U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich calls on the Biden administration to designate the area a national monument alongside the All Pueblo Council of Governors, the Santa Fe County Commission, and Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber.
A controversial 115 kV transmission line proposal by LANL would not be affected by the executive order because it doesn’t cross into state land. It would be the third power line in the area. It could, however, be affected by a national monument designation.
In September, the Santa Fe National Forest gave the green light for construction to begin. The Bureau of Land Management and the National Nuclear Security Administration still need to weigh-in.
