State Rep. Brian Egolf's great-grandfather was the founder of the American Petroleum Association of America. Egolf's father, until a few years ago, was an oilman, who drilled in Oklahoma and Texas.

But oil-industry representatives aren't exactly reacting with joy at the news that a "member of the family" is heading to the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

In fact, because of the younger Egolf's public positions on environment and conservation issues, some in the energy industry worry that Gov. Susana Martinez's agenda of rolling back environmental regulations just got harder.

Speaking at a meeting of Leadership Santa Fe, a program sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, Egolf said Monday that because of an even split on his committee among Democrats and Republicans, few bills that are controversial will gain passage.

And that doesn't sound good to the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association, which is hoping the Legislature passes a bill to prevent cap-and-trade regulations approved last year by the Environmental Improvement Board.

"Certainly Mr. Egolf's public positions have been a challenge for the industry," said Steve Henke, executive director of New Mexico Oil & Gas Association. "I suspect since Mr. Egolf controls the committee agenda, we may have difficulty being heard."

Henke later added, "We're willing to work with him as chairman."

Rep. Dennis Kintigh, a Roswell Republican assigned to Egolf's committee, described Egolf as "smart" and "sincere." But asked how Martinez's energy proposals will be affected by Egolf's chairmanship, Kintigh said, "It may be hard for the governor's agenda to survive in Mr. Egolf's committee."

A Martinez spokesman added, "The governor looks forward to working in a bipartisan manner, with Rep. Egolf and others, to promote economic growth and environmental stewardship; as she said in her State of the State address, these are not mutually exclusive goals. She is also hopeful that members of the Legislature will pass regulations that are based on science, not ideology."

Egolf bristles at any notion that he won't be willing to hear certain bills. "I intend to be fair and even-handed," he said Monday. He promised not to use procedural tricks to defeat legislation he doesn't like. "I think we, meaning the Democrats, are right on these issues," he said. "We don't need to cheat."

He said that in addition to discussing bills, he plans to schedule at least a couple of hearings in which certain energy-related issues are discussed to obtain data about certain questions. One of these discussions, he said, will address the environmental regulations' effect on the economy.

"I want to establish what's real and what's rhetoric," Egolf said. He said he believes some opponents of regulation have exaggerated the effects of regulations, such as the pit rules, which are aimed at safeguarding groundwater supplies from waste pits in oil-and-gas country. Egolf said he would bring in nonpartisan experts, but Republicans could invite any experts they wanted.

Kintigh said this is a good idea, but said he wasn't sure the committee would have time to do it, considering the crush of bills expected this session. "That might be more appropriate for an interim committee," he said, referring to legislative committees that meet between sessions.

Egolf said his past positions on environmental issues have provoked hate mail from opponents who called him a "communist" and even a "foreign agent."

He said his positions on the environment are "conservative" in the old sense of the world. Businesses should take personal responsibility for cleaning up their messes, he said, and should be willing to pay "the true cost of doing business."

Contact Steve Terrell at 986-3037 or sterrell@sfnewmexican.com. Read his political blog at roundhouseroundup.com.