Richardson elected to board of major environmental group

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has been elected to the board of the World Resources Institute, a major environmental think tank.

“Gov. Richardson brings decades of experience as a public official, diplomat and business leader, and has consistently displayed an enthusiasm and commitment to environmental issues that will be invaluable in advancing WRI’s goals,” WRI President Jonathan Lash said in a statement.

Richardson served as secretary of energy under former President Bill Clinton from 1998 to 2001.

“I am honored to join WRI,” Richardson, who ran for president in 2008, said in a statement. “They are an outstanding organization that has made a huge difference in protecting the environment and promoting sustainable development throughout the world.”

Richardson will sit on the WRI board with Natural Resources Defense Council President Frances Beinecke and former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator William Ruckleshaus, among others.