On the gubernatorial campaign trail last year, Susana Martinez pledged to pour sunshine on state government and to ease the process of getting public documents into the hands of those who request them.

Her pronouncements came at a time when then-Gov. Bill Richardson was under fire for what many said was an uncooperative and bloated press team, and an administration that fought to conceal public documents.

So, 10 months into her first term as governor, has Martinez made good on her promises? Is New Mexico government more open?

The answer varies.

One good-government group says Martinez's office has been open with the flow of information, but that the message has yet to trickle down to some of the state agencies.

Environmental activists, meanwhile, give the Republican governor low marks when it comes to inclusion and transparency in several recent cases.

Martinez's spokespeople say she's done a good job.

"The governor has strived to foster a new attitude and goal of increased transparency in state government, to disclose what we are allowed to disclose and to work hard to bring the process in Santa Fe to people throughout New Mexico," spokesman Scott Darnell said.

Records show Martinez's office has received 83 requests for records since January. Of those, 46 were fulfilled in less days than the 15 generally granted under the state's Inspection of Public Records Act. Many were filled within five days.

Twenty-eight requests took the full 15 days, and the rest are still pending, a spokesman said.

On five occasions, the administration said the requests were so broad that it needed more than the 15 days to complete the research required.

Also, on five occasions, the administration withheld some documents, claiming executive privilege. Darnell described the documents that were withheld as "few" in number.

Darnell said his office has helped reporters and others find basic information without having to go through a formal request process.

The administration also has worked to put video recordings of more meetings online for those who can't be in Santa Fe but want to keep tabs on the Roundhouse.

Sarah Welsh, head of the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, said that's an important step.

"They get the proactive transparency thing, putting things out there before people ask for them," she said.

Welsh said the Governor's Office has been very cooperative on transparency issues.

During a recent interview, she could not recall a single complaint about the office's handling of records requests — a major change from the previous administration.

"I think the attitude change at the top has been really palpable and really significant," she said. "There is definitely a willingness to listen to concerns about these issues. They really have made it clear they want to work with people requesting records and reporters."

Welsh gives the office an A-minus on open-government issues. She gives it a just-less-than-perfect grade for not resolving more quickly several records-related lawsuits that were filed during the Richardson administration.

Not everyone agrees that Martinez has implemented increased transparency in government.

Several environmental groups have found themselves crosswise with the Republican governor during recent cases.

"We've had no transparency and working together with this administration," said Tammy Fiebelkorn, the New Mexico representative for the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, a group involved in a case related to green building codes. The state's Construction Industry Commission n June voted to repeal energy-efficiency codes put in place during Richardson's tenure.

"My continual question is, where is the open and transparent government we were promised by this administration? I have seen no movement toward openness and transparency," she said.

Fiebelkorn said the administration went out of its way to exclude the environmental community during the discussion on building codes. She also said it twice missed the 15-day deadline to respond to records requests, but she said some departments are better than others when it comes to records requests.

Queries to the state Regulation and Licensing Department and the Construction Industries Division, for example, don't come as quickly as those from the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, which come "the next day," Fiebelkorn said.

Bruce Frederick, an attorney for the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, which represents the group New Energy Economy in a case involving greenhouse-gas emissions, said he has had to haggle with the administration over relatively minor things.

He asked for copies of answers provided to a questionnaire by potential members of the state's Environmental Improvement Board.

The state at first claimed the information was protected by executive privilege, Frederick said, but later released the questionnaires and answers. Attachments that candidates had sent with their answers were not included, Frederick said.

He also asked for emails between the governor's staff members that involved candidates who might be selected for the board. Frederick said the administration handed over the emails "but redacted the substance. You could see who it was from, but not what it was about."

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog at www.greenchilechatter.com.