New Mexico governor appoints infrastructure advisor as Office of Natural Resources Trustee 

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday announced the appointment of her infrastructure advisor to head the Office of Natural Resources Trustee — the state’s watchdog body to ensure polluters pay for damages to the state’s water, air, land and wildlife.

The office has won damages from pollution from oil and gas, mining — such as the Gold King Mine spill — and from military and national laboratory sites, and used those funds for restoration projects. 

Lujan Grisham appointed Rebecca Roose to the acting trustee position after the March resignation of Maggie Hart Stebbins, who held the position for six years. Roose will now take the job on full time, with her appointment set to end with Lujan Grisham’s term on Dec. 31. 

In a statement Friday, Lujan Grisham praised Roose, saying she “knows New Mexico’s water, land and environmental challenges from the inside out. Her knowledge and experience position her to be a strong and effective advocate for New Mexico’s natural resources.” 

Roose has more than two decades of experience in water and environment policy. Before becoming an advisor to the governor, Roose was deputy cabinet secretary at the New Mexico Environment Department, where she also led the Water Protection Division. Prior to work in state government, Roose spent 13 years working for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Roose told Source NM her first priority is to “maintain momentum” on the office’s ongoing cases, which includes seeking damages from the U.S. Department of Defense for contamination from “forever chemicals.”

“It’s humbling to be charged with the responsibility in a state, with such incredibly rich natural resources, which deserve protection,” Roose said. ”I’m excited to really roll up my sleeves, and do as much good work for the state as the team and I can.”