Senate committee advances Melanie Kenderdine for Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources secretary

A state Senate committee voted to advance Melanie Kenderdine’s nomination to be secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) to the full Senate, sponsors said, after hearing about her federal energy experience and the department’s recent program work.

Senator Stewart, the sponsor, told committee members that Kenderdine has served as the EMNRD secretary‑designate since the prior May and has overseen programs including a “Solar for All” initiative and the creation of two new hotshot firefighting crews. “She has already developed a substantial track record in this capacity,” Stewart said.

Kenderdine told the committee she grew up in New Mexico and described a long career spanning the Department of Energy in the Clinton and Obama administrations, leadership at the MIT Energy Initiative, and work on national energy policy. “I look forward to opportunities for working with our native peoples and putting our innovation infrastructure to work for the clean energy transition,” she said.

Supporters from the energy industry and local communities spoke in favor of her confirmation. Jason Sandell, who described participating in the Roosevelt Project and coal‑affected community work, said Kenderdine “cares about New Mexico” and “gets how important energy and energy policy is to our state.” The committee also received letters in support from former U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and former Oklahoma Energy Secretary Michael Mink.

Committee members questioned Kenderdine about wildfire mitigation funding, the department’s role in state forestry and insurance coordination, and oversight of the Solar for All program. Senator Duhigg pressed Kenderdine to commit that contractors with documented consumer‑complaint histories would not receive funds; Kenderdine said she would “commit to ensuring in every way, shape, or form that we maximize the value of that Solar for All program” and that contractors “have sound reputations.” Kenderdine said the program totals cited in testimony are in the hundreds of millions of federal dollars and later referenced a figure of $156,000,000 for contractor funds during colloquy.

Senator Bergman, Senator Block and others asked about interagency and tribal coordination. Kenderdine said she planned a cross‑cutting review of energy and resource management that would involve multiple state agencies and tribal partners and described it as analogous to a “New Mexico version of the Quadrennial Energy Review.”

A motion was made to forward Kenderdine’s nomination to the full Senate. In a roll call on that motion the committee recorded: Senator Bergman — Yes; Senator Block — Aye; Senator Brantley — Yes; Senator Stefanik — Yes; Senator Stewart — Yes; Senator Jaramillo — Yes; Senator Duhigg — Yes. The committee chair summarized the vote: “With the vote of 8 in favor of your confirmation, we will see you later this morning for a full senate confirmation.” The nomination now moves to the full Senate for a floor vote.

Committee discussion highlighted wildfire mitigation funding, interagency coordination, and contractor oversight for large federal programs administered by EMNRD.