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Environmental Priorities See Mixed Results in Legislative Session

Environmental Priorities See Mixed Results in Legislative Session

New Mexico Wild and a coalition of conservation and environmental organizations released a recap of the New Mexico legislative session. Despite the legislative session being primarily devoted to budget issues, legislators missed an opportunity to provide full funding and staffing levels for state agencies that protect New Mexico’s air, land, water and wildlife. Even with a historic surplus in state revenues and a record-setting budget of $8.5 billion, the final budget fell almost $10 million short of the governor’s executive budget recommendations for NMED and EMNRD.

Sierra Club wrap-up of NM legislative session 2022

Sierra Club wrap-up of NM legislative session 2022

If New Mexico’s 30-day legislative session ended at noon today with what felt like a series of big news and crashes and burns, that’s in part because lawmakers introduced and New Mexicans fought for some of the strongest and most transformational climate and democracy legislation in years, compressed into a crushing timeline that has always been inadequate to suit New Mexico’s needs. 

Statement on PNM’s San Juan Generating Station summer plans

Statement on PNM’s San Juan Generating Station summer plans

Climate change – and the more frequent and intense heat waves it brings – is putting greater strain on our electric grid. PNM faces an added challenge during 2022’s peak-demand summer season because the pandemic and subsequent supply-chain issues have slowed construction of resources to replace the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station, which is set to retire in June. Keeping San Juan running an extra three months may be necessary to keep PNM’s reserve margin high enough until replacement resources start coming online in September.