New Mexico's AG intervenes on the side of the public

New Mexico’s attorney general filed a motion Wednesday to intervene in a lawsuit on behalf of the public’s right to access a report on possible leaks at a Sandia National Laboratories mixed waste dump.

"Our analysis is that the requested document is a public record and the report should be disclosed," Attorney General Gary King told the Associated Press.

King’s motion is a welcome departure from the state’s other actions in this case. 

The matter all began when, despite receiving two opinions from King’s office that the report should be disclosed, state Environment Secretary Ron Curry sued a citizen’s advocacy group to keep the information secret.  The citizen’s group countersued under the state’s open records laws. That’s when the attorney general’s office jumped in to ask the court to rule against Curry.

With any luck, King will also decide to use his prosecutorial powers to reign in Curry and enforce the open records act.