Maggie Hart Stebbins Appointed Natural Resources Trustee
December 12, 2019
Maggie Hart Stebbins Appointed Natural Resources Trustee
Position is critical to restoring New Mexico’s natural resources
SANTA FE — Today, the New Mexico Office of Natural Resources Trustee is pleased to announce the Governor’s appointment of Maggie Hart Stebbins as New Mexico’s Natural Resources Trustee.
As Trustee, Hart Stebbins will be responsible for leading state efforts to ensure contaminated, injured or damaged natural resources are restored for the betterment of the environment and the benefit of New Mexicans and visitors to our beautiful lands. She replaces NMED Cabinet Secretary James Kenney, who has served in an acting role since January 2019. Secretary Kenney and Trustee Hart Stebbins will work closely together to implement the Office of Natural Resources Trustee mission.
“Commissioner Hart Stebbins has already proven herself an ardent advocate for our environment and for our citizens,” Secretary Kenney said. “I am confident she will fight to ensure that those responsible for contamination of natural resources are held accountable and that affected resources are restored.”
Hart Stebbins comes to the Office of Natural Resources Trustee with extensive experience in public service. Her background includes work for the U.S. Congress, the New Mexico House of Representatives, and the Mid-Region Council of Governments, where she focused on water conservation and regional transportation. She has served on the Bernalillo County Commission since 2009 where she has championed environmental initiatives such as cleanup of the Bulk Fuels Facility groundwater contamination at Kirtland Air Force Base, reducing nitrate contamination from on-site wastewater systems and preservation of open space.
“Gov. Lujan Grisham has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to protecting New Mexico’s environment and natural resources,” Hart Stebbins said. “I’m honored by this appointment and excited to be working with her administration and with New Mexicans who are impacted by these contaminations to carry out the Governor’s vision.”
The Office of Natural Resources Trustee is an independent state agency. The Office assesses injury to natural resources caused by the release of hazardous substances and seeks compensation from the potentially responsible parties for restoration of those injured resources. The funds obtained are used to restore, replace, or acquire the equivalent of injured, destroyed or lost natural resources and the services they provide. For more information, visit www.onrt.state.nm.us.
