Mission Statement/ Description

The New Mexico Center for Energy Policy (NMCEP) is the first community-centered response to the challenge of national energy security in the United States.  Its location in Lea County reflects the New Mexico Southeast as a historic and contemporary source of energy production and technology.  Energy policy-making in Washington and in state capitals is often limited to “witness” appearances from “locals”.  Energy policy developed and promoted by an energy production community has been non-existent until now.

NMCEP (nim-sep) represents a diversified energy production and infrastructure community (DEPIC).  The economic reality in Lea County and the region includes natural gas, oil, wind, solar, bio-fuels and nuclear energy.  There is also presence of carbon dioxide that can be transformed into feedstock for fuel from capture or sequestered (stored underground).  Diversified energy supply is a natural endowment:  it rejects “either /or” (renewable vs. non-renewable) policy choices and mandates.

NMCEP will initiate a process for facilitating energy economic development programs.  This process will also encourage local social capital towards lowering political risk for energy.  One of the critical elements of investor risk assessment is community attitude towards energy technology, production and usage.

NMCEP recognizes that 80% of CO2 emissions, the primary source of greenhouse gases and projections of climate warming in the United States, result from electricity production.  Carbon-neutral alternatives include nuclear energy and renewable energy. Southeast New Mexico merits consideration and site-selection for these carbon-neutral sources.

NMCEP will partner with New Mexico Tech and NMJC in the competition for industry and state / national research grants and programs.  Tech offers a diversified energy technology, critical mass of research faculty to participate in energy community-energy engineering university partnerships and will coordinate with NMJC training and outreach resources.

NMCEP will establish direct private sector and government ties that will advance the potential of energy policy and development in a diversified energy production community.  This will involve developing policy and positions on the energy regulatory process at all levels.  The Center will address national energy security with an enabling model that other similarly endowed communities can follow.  Lea County participants will become advisors and ambassadors.