Senate President Pro Temp Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) is sponsoring three climate bills this session, including the Clear Horizons Act to codify New Mexico’s goals to reduce emissions by 50% by 2040 and 100% by 2050. (Danielle Prokop / Source NM)
A bill proposing to enshrine state emission reduction goals into law eked through its first committee on a 5-4 vote.
Senate President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart (D-Albuquerque) is the sponsor for Senate Bill 4, also called the Clear Horizons Act.
New Mexico is facing compounding climate disasters and an increased burden to address them, she said, and said the state needs to address the planet-warming emissions.
“I want to be part of the process that tries to eliminate the greenhouse gases,” said Stewart in closing comments. “That’s what’s heating up the planet, there’s just no question about it anymore.”
What’s in the bill?
The bill, if adopted, sets goals to reduce greenhouse gas emission levels by 45% in 2030, 75% in 2040 and 100% in 2050 of the emission levels in 2005, spelling out in law an executive order Gov. Michelle Lujan issued in 2019.
The exact process would be determined through a rule-making process by the Environmental Improvement Board. In addition, the bill would establish yearly reports on New Mexico’s emissions; require the state to prioritize reduction in “overburdened communities;” and to consult with tribal governments.
It requests $3 million for the New Mexico Environment department to hire additional staff and run the emissions reduction program.
Stewart was joined by Gabe Pacyniak, an environmental law professor from the University of New Mexico law school to field questions from the committee.
Republican lawmakers asked questions centering on the economy, which veered off-topic at times during the two-hour hearing.
In one exchange with Sen. Larry Scott (R-Hobbs) asked if Stewart could explain gross domestic product to the committee, she responded “all I want to talk to you about is billions of dollars that it’s costing right now for the fires that we’ve had in New Mexico, fires they had in California – that affects our GDP.”
Republican senators asked multiple times how the bills would impact the price of utilities, food and gasoline prices.
While Democratic senators expressed their support, Sen. Joe Cervantes (D-Las Cruces) joined with Republicans on the committee in the vote against the bill.
In comments before the vote, Cervantes said he supported efforts to mitigate climate change, and called many of the goals in the bill “laudable,” but said he was concerned the language of the bill is too vague and a target for lawsuits by industry, agriculture and business opponents.
“This is a field day for lawyers, this bill, and I don’t think that’s good, there’s time wasted and opportunity wasted,” Cervantes said.
In public comment, lobbyists for oil and gas organizations and agriculture comprised most of the opposition, saying that the bill was too “aggressive,” and saying the industries such as oil and gas and agriculture would be negatively impacted.
“We are very concerned about the unintended consequences to our job space and overall economy with such an aggressive mandate, ” said Terri Cole, the CEO for the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce. “In particular, we believe the oil and gas industry will be negatively affected.”
Supporters of the bill included a coalition of two dozen climate, equity and community nonprofit groups who have endorsed the bill, several youths, the governor’s climate advisor Travis Kellerman and New Mexico Environment Department Secretary James Kenney.
Ariella Proak De Varna and Adriana Martinez, eighth graders from Santa Fe Girls’ School, read speeches developed as a class to share their support for the bill.
“We are counting on you to fulfill your responsibilities to the people of New Mexico,” Martinez said. “So we urge you to choose legislation that will protect the future of our beloved state and the people who call it home.”
The students choose which bill they support, said Darya Glass, the co-director of the school and teaches civics and government.
In the hallways of the Roundhouse, one of their classmates, Paloma Rodriguez (Lipan Apache), said she enjoyed seeing the democratic process up close on an issue she’s passionate about.
“I don’t, of course, understand a lot about everything they’re asking about, it’s very clear that some of them were off topic and I don’t think that really helps the bill at all,” Rodriguez said.
The bill is assigned to appear before the Senate Finance Committee next, which it would need to pass before heading to a floor vote.
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