Innovation & Technology

I believe that innovation is what America does best. I also believe that technology and science-driven policies are how we can best meet many of our 21st century challenges.

New Mexico has long been home to leading innovators and researchers. Our national laboratories, research universities, and military installations have an extensive history of breakthroughs that have changed the way we power our electric grid, protect our national security, and connect the world.

To compete in the 21st-century economic landscape, New Mexico must tap into the extraordinary research and development already being conducted in our backyard,.  We need to support creative homegrown companies, and build a skilled workforce that will manufacture the advanced technologies and products of the future. Our business owners, scientists, and engineers have the creativity and capacity to provide a steady stream of technologies that could yield dividends in commercial markets.

We must encourage our national labs to more actively engage with the regional innovation systems where they are located. I was proud to pass legislation to establish off-campus microlabs that serve as the “front door" to our national laboratories. These microlabs give universities and businesses direct access to equipment, facilities and personnel at our labs and help create an environment that nurtures collaboration and entrepreneurship.

The clean energy industry is one area where New Mexico stands to gain thousands of jobs in the coming years thanks to this type of collaboration. With our immense potential for both solar and wind and the brilliant energy innovators at our labs and small businesses, our state can and should be a major producer and exporter of clean energy technology and power.

We owe it to our children and our economy to make smart investments in education and target areas where we have the potential to create jobs and major new industries. By preparing our students and retraining our labor force for a lucrative high-tech job market, we can build pathways toward a more diverse future generation of innovators and entrepreneurs, and create a sustainable and prosperous future for our state.

Latest

  • Heinrich Delivers Major Wins For N.M. Military Bases, Labs, And Defense Tech

    WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Ranking Member of the Strategic Forces Subcommittee, and co-founder of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus, secured major wins for New Mexico in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021 that support New Mexico's men and women in uniform, military installations, national laboratories, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), Artificial Intelligence, and job-creating initiatives throughout the state. The legislation passed the House on Tuesday and the Senate today with strong bipartisan support, and is expected to be signed into law. Read More

  • NM Delegation Announces Albuquerque is Finalist to Host U.S. Space Command and Urges Air Force to Utilize New Mexico’s Unique Space Assets for New Headquarters

    WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) announced that the Department of the Air Force is naming Albuquerque as a finalist for the location of the new U.S. Space Command headquarters. The delegation continued their advocacy for New Mexico's growing space economy.  Read More

  • Science needs to lead the way

    Today, we're facing the greatest public health and economic crises in our lifetimes. Meeting the full scale of the challenges we face will require big thinking and big solutions. In short, this moment demands that we invest in innovation. Read More

  • We need to protect the air we breathe

    As someone with a background in mechanical engineering, I always believe we need to rely on science as we create solutions to the problems we face. The COVID-19 pandemic is a problem on a scale that most of us have never faced before. Many of the world's brightest scientists are discovering new information about the virus every day. It is by definition a novel coronavirus. Read More

  • Bipartisan, Bicameral Tribal Connect Act Introduced To Increase High-Speed Internet Access In Indian Country

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and U.S. Representative Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) have introduced the Tribal Connect Act, legislation to improve broadband connectivity in Indian Country. The bicameral, bipartisan bill would increase access to the Federal Communications Commission's schools and libraries universal service support program. The $4 billion program, known as E-rate, provides discounts to assist public schools and libraries obtain high-speed internet access and telecommunications at affordable rates. Read More

  • NM Delegation Applauds Space Exploration Grants to UNM, NMSU, Navajo Technical College

    WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) and Xochitl Torres Small (D-N.M.) applaud nearly $2.3 million in combined awards from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to New Mexico universities for fellowships supporting minority and underrepresented students in STEM fields and innovative research for space exploration programs. Read More

  • Haaland, Heinrich Call Out FCC for Shortchanging Tribes on Tribal Broadband Application Deadline

    WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) led a bicameral group of lawmakers calling out the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for shortchanging Tribes on the Tribal broadband application deadline. In a letter to the FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the lawmakers cite challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic and call for a full 180-day extension from the original August 3, 2020, 2.5 GHz Tribal priority filing window deadline, instead of the FCC's 30-day extension that was announced one working day before the deadline expiration. Read More