Gov. Bill Richardson's instincts are correct in his call for optimism and aggressive pursuit of economic development in the face of tough financial times. And he's on the right track with the "green" route to prosperity he's pursuing.

With President Barack Obama urging such efforts in his inaugural address, with the governor asking the newly convened Legislature to "look over the horizon" for similar possibilities, and with this week's state-sponsored conference on a green economy, there's no shortage of serious talk — at so many levels — about re-tooling America to end our overdependence on burnt carbon, foreign or domestic.

What's needed now is a coordinated campaign to make New Mexico a leader in alternative-energy research, development and manufacturing — because we won't be alone in this effort.

Nations such as Germany, Spain and Japan already are at work on the machinery that will drive this new economy. And among our states, the Rust Belt has no shortage of manufacturing know-how and highly skilled labor. Lots of the steel production, toolmaking and assembly-line technology of the automobile industry, idled for now by the economic doldrums could be converted to the wind-turbine business. For every encouraging word from the governor, dozens are being spoken by the governors of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and their smokestack-spiked neighbors.

But New Mexico has been among the leaders in wind-power use, and in solar-energy development — and our state is host not only to Intel and other high-tech companies, but to some of the best brains in science and technology: Los Alamos and Sandia national laboratories.

For years, Sen. Jeff Bingaman has promoted partnerships between the labs and private enterprise for turning knowledge into products for better health and greater service to consumers. As chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, he's well placed at a time when the new administration can — and wants to — make meaningful efforts toward renewable energy. As energy secretary, Obama chose the director of the Lawrence Berkeley lab, Dr. Steven Chu, whose view of our national laboratories isn't limited to their weapons-building role.

Sen. Bingaman and the Nobel Prize-winning Dr. Chu, along with new Sen. Tom Udall — who as Northern New Mexico's representative urged Los Alamos to diversify its role — could lead Los Alamos and our other labs in the overdue direction of energy development.

Meanwhile, Northern New Mexico College, just down the hill from LANL, is taking steps that could make Española a partner in such efforts. Might solar-energy take a long forward step on "the hill" and the valley below? And out on the windy llano, Mesalands Community College is training students in putting together and maintaining wind turbines, with their thousands of intricate and moving parts.

Among the governor's proposals:

u A "research applications center" to take technology developed at the labs and at universities, and use it to put commercial products on the market.

u Tax incentives for renewable energy development: For example, expanding the amount of large-scale solar energy generation that could qualify for a current tax credit.

u A "green grid" initiative to encourage improvements in the electrical transmission system that will promote the use of renewable power.

These ideas should dovetail nicely with those long sought by our senators.

New Mexico can't afford to rest on its laurels as a leader in green energy — especially now that it's leaving the realm of daydreams.