(ALBUQUERQUE) -- Diane Denish and Brian Colón today proudly accepted the endorsement of Conservation Voters New Mexico.

"New Mexico's precious water resources must be protected for future generations," Denish said. "Conservation voters want New Mexico to be prosperous and successful -- that includes protecting our wild places and water. I am proud to stand with them and I will fight to keep New Mexico's air and water clean."

"Being on the side of New Mexicans means fighting for clean water," Colón said. "Susana Martinez has proven she is in the pocket of powerful interests that want to roll-back environmental protections and spoil our land and water. We cannot let that happen. That's what's at stake in this election."

But the Denish-Colón conservation agenda is more than the protection of New Mexico's wild places, it's also about jobs. From watershed restoration to wind farms; from weatherization of homes to the construction of renewable energy power lines -- now more than ever conservation means jobs.

"Diane Denish understands that long-term economic development and the protection of our air, land, and water go hand in hand," said Sandy Buffett, Executive Director of Conservation Voters NM (CVNM).  "CVNM is proud to endorse Diane Denish and Brian Colón to lead New Mexico and to protect our most precious resources for future generations."

The Denish-Colón conservation agenda:

·       A bad-actor bill to hold chronic polluters accountable.

·       Continued protection for places that should be off-limits to drilling, such as the Otero Mesa.

·       A state Clean Energy Investment Pool -- By linking a portion of severance-tax revenue to incentives and   programs for growing the clean-energy economy, we can target state capital to renewable-energy projects

·       Create a center of excellence for green energy development based at one of our research universities. This center of excellence will go hand-in-hand with the goals of Innovate New Mexico.

·       Expand tax credits for clean energy companies -- Increase the Industry Research and Development Tax Credit to 10% for clean technology businesses and offer favorable tax treatment to startup founders to encourage them to stay in New Mexico.

·       Fight for the expansion of special assessment districts for renewable energy. Take on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make sure this innovative program, which puts renewable energy directly into the hands of average homeowners, remains a viable green-job engine.

·       Support the creation of a green-job business incubator.

·       Encourage the conversion of government car fleets to high-efficiency vehicles and natural-gas.

·       Ensure all new state buildings meet green standards, expand renovation of existing buildings and put all government utility bills online for the public to inspect.

·       Invest in bonds for renewable energy transmission capacity so that New Mexico can sell its renewable power to other states.

·       Promote and develop deep-source geothermal energy using spent oil and gas wells. This new effort would be a great way to engage oil and gas companies in the green energy revolution and create jobs in the oil patch.

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