New Mexico cybersecurity leader calls for quantum safeguards while state inks deal with major player

By Joshua Bowling | Senior Reporter

Good morning and happy Friday, everyone! We spent yesterday morning at the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, where Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a new partnership with a Japanese tech company to create a quantum computing research center in New Mexico. The announcement came as one of the state’s top cybersecurity officials told a panel of state lawmakers about safeguards he said the state needs amid the race for quantum computing breakthroughs between the U.S. and other countries. We also have a look at a legislative committee hearing where the police chief of New Mexico’s second-largest city sought — with mixed results — to reassure state lawmakers about his department’s use of the increasingly controversial Flock cameras. You’ll find these stories and more below and online at sourcenm.com. As always, thanks for reading.

New Mexico cybersecurity leader calls for quantum safeguards while state inks deal with major player

New Mexico cybersecurity officials told state lawmakers Thursday to prioritize updating digital security systems across state agencies before other countries develop a high-tech quantum computer. The admonition came the same day Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced a partnership with Japan-based tech company Fujitsu to establish a quantum computing research center in New Mexico.

New Mexico police chief tells lawmakers Flock cameras ‘very valuable’ despite increased criticism

The police chief in New Mexico’s second-largest city attempted this week to allay lawmaker fears about one of the most controversial tools in law enforcement: Flock cameras. But by the end of the presentation, some still had big questions and concerns about the technology Democratic-majority Legislature and governor opted to restrict earlier this year.

‘It’s a Beautiful River in the Middle of a Hellscape’

The Pecos River headwaters rush untamed through miles of steep canyons and pine-covered slopes. When it exits New Mexico, the Pecos looks more like a tightly managed creek — a conveyance delivering carefully tallied water through the middle of the Permian Basin, the country’s most productive oil and gas region.

New Mexico solar grants reduce energy costs for public buildings in rural areas, state officials say

Since grant applications opened in January, solar projects at public buildings funded by the Local Solar Access Fund generated a 53% reduction in energy costs on average for predominately rural communities in the state, New Mexico Finance Authority program chief John Brooks told lawmakers on Tuesday. Brooks spoke at a meeting of the interim Finance Authority Oversight Committee in Santa Teresa where the program's positive results for rural communities was highlighted.

ICYMI

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