Four Corners economic group seeking $100M from New Mexico to grow energy economy

As their search for a new executive director reaches its final stages, officials at Four Corners Economic Development already are developing a plan for the organization’s next steps, one that includes seeking a sizable investment from state lawmakers to expand the local energy economy.

Jeremiah Hayes, the chairman of the executive committee of 4CED, a public-private partnership dedicated to building San Juan County’s economic future, told members of the San Juan County Commission during a Dec. 19 presentation that his group plans on asking the state Legislature for $100 million to jump start an expanded energy economy in the county. The money would be used on such projects as a planned western interstate hydrogen hub project at Navajo Agricultural Products Industry headquarters south of Farmington, as well as for investments in infrastructure and sequestration support, he said.

Hayes sounded an optimistic tone about the potential for the funds being awarded, despite the sizable nature of the request.

“There is a lot of hope that we have a better opportunity this legislative session than we have had in the past,” he said.

Hayes delivered a presentation of approximately 20 minutes to commissioners in which he outlined the state of the economy in the county and his organization’s efforts to lead the county to a prosperous future. He began by noting that the county is in the midst of transitioning away from a fossil fuels-based economy, a shift that has been reflected in tax revenue over the last 10 years, he said.

In 2013, Hayes said the top 10 fossil fuels industry taxpayers in San Juan County — including the Arizona Public Service Co. and the Public Service Co. of New Mexico — made up 54% of the total taxable value assessed in the county. By this year, that figure had shrunk to 24.8%, he said.

Hayes also said the county’s population has declined by 7.4% over the last 10 years, while the size of its workforce has fallen by 5%.

4CED, which has been without a full-time executive director since March, when Arvin Trujillo resigned to accept a position as senior adviser and executive administrator to Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, has spent the last few years trying to answer one question, Hayes said — “What do you focus to not only recover what was lost, but exceed all prior metrics of economic prosperity, sustainable for multiple generations?”

Hayes described that question as “the heart (and) soul” of what 4CED does.

In search of an answer, the organization has spent $250,000 engaging with the University of Minnesota’s economic development and expansion program, and Diane Lupke & Associates, an economic development consulting firm, he said. Those efforts have led 4CED to put together a three-pronged strategy for 2024 that is headlined by the request for $100 million to help expand the local energy economy, Hayes said.

The other two points of emphasis for the organization will be its continued advocacy for the creation of a railroad spur in San Juan County and its work to expand broadband Internet service.

Hayes said the federal government has awarded a $50,000 grant that will be funneled through 4CED for rural broadband expansion, and the organization will be building a plan for that expansion.

Additionally, Hayes said, 4CED officials have come to recognize that their efforts stand a much better chance of succeeding if they build a strong partnership with the Navajo Nation.

“If we can figure out how we play well together and encourage one another and invest in one another’s interests … that is really one of the key ways that our community is going to thrive in the future,” he said.

After Hayes’ presentation, County Commissioner Terri Fortner, a member of the 4CED executive committee, said the organization would begin interviewing candidates for the executive director position this week. 4CED has been led by interim executive director Scott Bird since Trujillo’s departure at the end of March.

Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.

This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: San Juan County commissioners hear 4CED plan for energy economy growth