In January of 2019, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed James Kenney as the Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED). He was reappointed to this position by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham in 2023.
As one of the Governor’s longest serving Cabinet Secretaries, Kenney has been instrumental in advancing public health and environmental policies in New Mexico. His leadership has earned him recognition as a progressive environmental steward – balancing sustainability efforts, community concerns, and economic growth.
Mission Champion, Employee Advocate
Notably, Secretary Kenney has championed public service through advocacy for his agency’s mission and employees. Over his tenure, he grew the Agency’s budget from $90M when he started to $200M. Today, the Environment Department’s budget is over 80% federal grants and permit fees with less than 20% coming from the New Mexico general fund. In Fiscal Year 2024, the Environment Department spent $25.5M in general fund but collected over $30M in civil penalties producing an 18.4% return in investment for New Mexicans while holding polluters accountable.
His legislative advocacy fixed a decade old problem of chronically underpaying Environment Department employees for their service. Today, he is proud that his colleagues are properly compensated for their education and professional experience. As a result, the Department has the lowest vacancies in its history at 5% while employee engagement data shows Environment Department employees are twice the national average for engagement in their day-to-day work.
Climate Action, Cleaner Energy, Improved Air Quality
Secretary Kenney has been a key figure in New Mexico’s efforts to transition to a cleaner energy economy while decarbonizing traditional forms of energy. Secretary Kenney was championed the State’s efforts to onshore clean hydrogen investments, including Australia-based Star Scientific’s $125M campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Under his leadership, New Mexico became the fourth state in the U.S. to adopt clean fuel standards which uses market-based mechanism to expand investments while lowering emissions. Secretary Kenney also focused on ensuring both zero emission vehicle incentives, like tax credits, were adopted while mandating auto manufacturers provide New Mexicans with access to such vehicles though the adoption of clean car and clean truck standards.
Secretary Kenney led the effort to clean up New Mexico’s oil and gas industry by developing state rules that the U.S. This move is part of New Mexico’s broader commitment to improving air quality locally while taking bold climate action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Secretary Kenney is clear that compliance with state environmental laws is not optional.
Fighting Against Forever Chemicals
Secretary Kenney has championed grass roots activism from within state government to support communities afflicted with toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. Secretary Kenney is aggressively pursuing legal action against the U.S. Department of Defense for the poisoning New Mexicans around Air Force Bases too. To date, the Department has led PFAS blood testing initiatives, private well water testing, and public drinking water system testing around the state. Secretary Kenney has taken his fight against such chemicals to Washington, DC and testified before Congress twice on this subject.
Water Protection and Regulation
Secretary Kenney has spearheaded efforts to protect the state’s water supply in the face of climate change, longstanding contamination, and adverse Supreme Court decisions that render New Mexico waters the most threatened in the U.S. The Department is seeking federal primacy for discharges to surface waters while strengthening its groundwater permitting program. This includes the identification and clean-up of over 300 abandoned and polluted groundwater sites across the state of New Mexico.
Ending a Radioactive Legacy
Secretary Kenney has held a firm line when it comes to allowing the federal government or private sector further exploit New Mexicans with radioactive waste issues. From strengthening the provision of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant permit to prioritizing the clean-up of legacy waste at Los Alamos National Laboratory through a federal lawsuit and settlement to helping to pass a state-law to prevent New Mexico from becoming the Nation’s dumping ground for spent commercial nuclear waste – Secretary Kenney has fought on these fronts because of the adverse impacts felt by generations of New Mexicans, Tribes and Pueblos. Secretary Kenney has coordinated efforts across federal and state agencies to focus on abandoned uranium mining impacts in recognition that such communities, including downwinders, deserve recognition and improved health outcomes.
Pandemic Response and Illicit Drugs
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Secretary Kenney played a crucial role in ensuring workplace safety, protecting people in congregate care facilities, and conducting “Rapid Responses” to address workplace outbreaks and share the data publicly in real time on the Department’s website. The Department received national attention for conducting sewer monitoring of COVID-19 that helped to serve as early detection and prevent outbreaks.
Under his leadership, the Department conducted a statewide wastewater testing program for illicit drugs at public and charter high schools. At the conclusion of this effort, wastewater was sampled from 184 schools where 97,166 students go to school at the cost of about $7 per student.
Previous Experience
Before his appointment, Secretary Kenney spent more than 21 years across two stints at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, most recently as senior policy advisor for oil and gas. In that role, he worked with senior agency leadership and designed strategies to support environmentally responsible development of oil and natural gas resources while working with states, tribes, federal agencies, NGOs and industry on regulatory and policy matters. Kenney has also served as a senior environmental engineer at the EPA, leading both civil and criminal investigations related to the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and other programs as well as developing strategic compliance and enforcement efforts related to oil and natural gas exploration. In addition, he served as the Acting Associate Director of the U.S. EPA’s External Civil Rights program which ensures recipients of federal funds comply with the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
He has also worked as a Senior Environmental Engineer at Denver-based environmental engineering firm McCoy and Associates and as a consultant at the U.S. Department of Justice.
Secretary Kenney holds both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Temple University. In 2023, Secretary Kenney was named by Temple University as one of the top 50 engineers (19 out of 50) who are changing the future for the better. He and his husband, who is the U.S. Marshal for the District of New Mexico, live in Albuquerque.