SOCORRO, N.M. – A public servant who advanced the role of earth science in public policy will be recognized at the New Mexico State Capitol on Feb. 5, 2024. The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources, in cooperation with the state Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD), will present the 2024 Earth Science Achievement Award for Public Service and Public Policy to State Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth during a 10:30 a.m. ceremony in the Roundhouse Rotunda in conjunction with Earth Science/New Mexico Tech Day. NMT academic and research divisions and earth science-focused state, federal, and private sector organizations will staff tables from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The public is invited to visit the Roundhouse and attend the awards ceremony.

Senator Wirth graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor of arts degree in economics and Spanish in 1984. He later earned his juris doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1990. After completing his law degree, Senator Wirth was a law clerk for the Honorable Oliver Seth, a federal judge with the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1992, Senator Wirth began his civil law work, which continues to this day, specializing in mediation and dispute resolution. Some of his earliest service to New Mexico communities began before his service in the Legislature, serving on boards for local charity organizations, including the St. Vincent Hospital Foundation, the Santa Fe Children’s Museum, and the Historic Santa Fe Foundation.

Senator Wirth’s public service to New Mexico shifted more firmly to state policy with his move to the state Legislature. He has been a member of the New Mexico Legislature for 20 years, serving both as a state representative and a senator. He was appointed to the House of Representatives in 2004 and was subsequently elected to that position, where he completed two terms. In 2008, he successfully ran for the state Senate, where he is currently serving his fourth term. Throughout his tenure in the Legislature, Senator Wirth has been a strong leader and advocate for environmental legislation. Of the many natural resource issues facing the state, his interest in the sustainable use and management of water resources stands out.

Over his years of service as a legislator, he has served as chair of the Senate Conservation Committee and the interim Water and Natural Resources Committee and as a member of the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. In these roles, and now as Senate majority leader since 2017, Senator Wirth has played an integral role in a number of environmental and regulatory reform measures to protect and better manage the state’s critical natural resources, especially water. Key pieces of legislation that he has sponsored and co-sponsored include a number of environmental and conservation bills that became law, including the Local Government Air Quality Act (“Stringency"), the Forest and Watershed Restoration Act, the Renewable Energy Financial District Act, the Sustainable Building Act Tax Credits, the Regional Water System Resiliency Act, the Land of Enchantment Legacy Fund, and reforms to the Interstate Stream Commission membership. 

Nominations for next year’s awards are welcome from the general public and may be made directly to the Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources director and state geologist.