Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department gets new deputy secretary 

SANTA FE, NM – Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has named Dylan Fuge Deputy Secretary of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD). Mr. Fuge, who had been serving as acting deputy secretary since October 15, 2023, assumes his new position on November 25, 2023.  

A Santa Fe native, Mr. Fuge has filled various roles within EMRD, most recently serving as Director of the department’s Oil Conservation Division (OCD). He will continue to lead that division in an acting capacity until a new director is appointed. Prior to becoming OCD Director, Mr. Fuge was EMNRD’s General Counsel, a position responsible for advising the Secretary and various divisions on the complex natural resources and regulatory issues that routinely come before the department.

The deputy secretary is the department’s chief operating officer, overseeing its administrative functions, staffing and budget management, in addition to helping shape policy and legislative priorities.

“Throughout his EMNRD tenure, Mr. Fuge has displayed a knack for creative problem solving, along with the ability to relate to and communicate with team members at all levels of the organization,” said EMNRD Secretary Sarah Cottrell Propst. “He has helped EMNRD achieve significant policy, regulatory, and legislative goals. Along the way, he has gained a comprehensive knowledge of the agency that will allow for a smooth transition into the role of deputy secretary. He will do an outstanding job.”

In accepting his first job at EMNRD as General Counsel, Mr. Fuge returned home to New Mexico from the state of Washington, where he worked for T-Mobile, with responsibility for nationwide local permitting and advocacy support for the company’s cell site development efforts. Before that, Mr. Fuge spent six years at the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), where he served as Counselor to the Director of the Bureau of Land Management and as an Attorney Advisor in the Office of the Solicitor. His DOI areas of practice included oil and gas development and oversight, renewable energy project development, land use planning, and general public lands management.

As OCD Director, Mr. Fuge has been instrumental in enforcing EMNRD’s nation-leading rules governing methane waste and emissions in the oil and gas sector, as well as overseeing the division’s robust orphan well plugging program.

Mr. Fuge holds degrees in Geology and Studies in the Environment from Yale University and earned his Law Degree and a Masters of Environmental Management from Duke University.

“I am a firm believer in Governor Lujan Grisham’s vision of making New Mexico a leader in responsible natural resources development and the greenest business-friendly state in the nation,” Mr. Fuge said. “EMNRD also plays a critical role in conserving the state’s natural resources and supporting outdoor recreation. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve this agency in a new capacity.”