Lawmaker shares thoughts on session

Veteran state Sen. Pete Campos foresees a lot of new infrastructure spending by a cash-flush New Mexico Legislature when its 30-day session resumes in January.

Campos, D-Las Vegas, who's served in the Legislature for nearly 30 years, shared his thoughts about the coming session at an event hosted Thursday by the Quay County Democratic Party in the Liberty Room of the Tucumcari Convention Center.

Campos' 8th District includes part of northeast Tucumcari as well as Logan and Ute Lake in Quay County, plus Guadalupe, Harding, Mora, San Miguel, Colfax and Taos counties.

About 15 people - many of them local officials - attended Thursday's event, which occurred about two weeks after a legislative forum at Mesalands Community College that Campos said he was unable to attend. State Sen. Pat Woods and state Rep. Jack Chatfield, both Republicans, participated in that forum.

Campos said the Legislature won't have revenue forecasts until later this month, but he anticipates a record $7.6 billion budget and $1.25 billion in new money for infrastructure needs. The revenue boost comes primarily from oil and gas revenue in southern New Mexico.

He said among those needs is up to $260 million in repairs to dams, including several that are leaking. Campos said he anticipates $25 million to $50 million in dam repairs earmarked in the next session alone.

Campos also foresees about $50 million for local road projects and $250 million to $400 million for highways and interstates. He said state officials need to "think it through" on road repairs because they need to be addressed below the surface for a longer-term solution.

"These are huge needs," Campos said of infrastructure.

He said the state eventually would have to replace some of its aging prison facilities and deal with behavioral health issues such as opioid, methamphetamine and alcohol abuse. Because of the state's high levels of suicide, child psychiatry will need to be examined. And Medicaid will require more state subsidies in the coming years.

Campos talked about the contamination of water wells by firefighter foam used at Cannon Air Force Base. He said that cleanup would take "much longer than anticipated."

The senator said the Legislature also must deal with agency needs after years of fiscally lean times and underfunded public schools and colleges. Campos said he favors more focus in STEM - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - because even blue-collar workers with such training think more analytically.

Campos said it also is imperative for the state to keep 15% to 20% of its money in contingency reserves to maintain a good bond rating.

Campos said the state eventually would have to transition from oil and gas to renewable energy due to climate change and other issues. But he said one has to be cautious in making such changes when oil and gas account for as much as a third of the state's nonrecurring revenue.

"How do we balance that without losing one over the other?" he said.

Campos took some questions from the audience. Among the items of discussion:

• Several asked about the medical marijuana being sold by only a few nonprofits in New Mexico and whether recreational marijuana would be legalized. Campos said the state Senate is "really close" to legalizing recreational pot but doesn't think the votes are there for the upcoming session. He said he and other senators hold concerns about public safety, public health and taxing regarding legal pot. City Commissioner Ralph Moya said he objects to the lack of accountability with medical marijuana dispensaries and production.

• Steve Morgan urged Campos to look into redevelopment of Conchas Lake, especially after its north dock was closed and its marina removed. Morgan says now is time to spend money on the lake: "We may not always have a checkbook like we have right now." Campos said the state parks department is supposed to get more money for upgrades, and he said he'd check whether Conchas Lake is on the list.

• Tucumcari city manager Britt Lusk said more accountability of where internet sales taxes are going is needed. He said he was unsure Tucumcari and other rural areas are getting their fair share.

• One person noted the abundance of wind turbines south of Quay County, but not in the county itself, and the fact many wind-energy jobs aren't staying in the county despite Mesalands' training programs. Campos suggested easement and cost issues might be holding back Quay County, and some parts of the state are resisting wind turbines entirely.

• Bob Hockaday told Campos he sees an opportunity with the state's energy-transition bill that mandates New Mexico be energy-neutral by 2045. He seeks to start construction to convert a former ethanol plant in Tucumcari to methane-gas production prototype by early 2020. Methane would meet the criteria of energy-neutral.