For immediate release: Oct. 25, 2021

Santa Fe, NM – At her speech at the Speaker’s Climate Summit (2:33:35) on Monday, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham promised to propose legislation codifying the goals of her 2019 Climate Executive Order in the 2022 New Mexico legislative session.

Climate and community advocates, who applauded the announcement, have been supporting climate-justice legislation that would create jobs and uplift frontline communities by moving toward a clean-energy economy and enshrining the economy-wide commitments to net-zero climate pollution in the governor’s Climate Executive Order in law.

“With today’s announcement, Gov. Lujan Grisham heads to the UN Climate Summit with deep climate commitments under her wings. By putting net-zero greenhouse emissions by 2050 into law this coming ...

Join ClimateCorps - because climate is core
But climate is core to our survival, the quality of life of our kids in the future and now. It’s core to protecting our air, water, wildlife, lands, food and so much more. Now is the time and we are the ones. Join ClimateCORPS ...
Hydrogen facts
On October 5, a coalition of New Mexico community, environmental, and justice organizations warned state and federal lawmakers of the risks of diving head-first into fossil-fueled hydrogen projects. The groups’ letter provides guidance on the context and safeguards that must be enacted before hydrogen projects are considered in the San Juan Basin, and in New Mexico generally.The oil and gas industry has lobbied for billions in taxpayer funds for hydrogen in the coming federal infrastructure bill, and states, including New Mexico, are scrambling to win those funds for “hydrogen hubs.” But hydrogen derived from fossil gas presents significant climate and health dangers, driving new methane, carbon dioxide and other emissions as well as a massive new market for fracked gas, ...
Public turns out for smog rules
Eighty-five of you (parents, kids, faith leaders, Sierra Club members) spoke in favor of strong smog rules in front of the Environmental Improvement Board at the end of September. The Environmental Improvement Board hearing lasted two weeks and involved testimony, witnesses, and cross-examining, all while climate and community groups made a case for the strongest safeguards possible. Our lawyers, witnesses and public commenters advocated for some areas of improvement to the draft rule.  ...
PRC approves first utility EV infrastructure proposal
On September 22, 2021, New Mexico’s Public Regulation Commission approved Southwestern Public Service Company’s Transportation Electrification Plan — essentially a state-required plan for adding electric-vehicle infrastructure — with some important improvements your actions helped secure.  ...
State on Clean Cars standards: There's always next year
The state Environment Department, which had committed to adopting the Clean Cars standards in 2020, opposed climate activists' petition, saying they were understaffed but would start a rulemaking in December. Supporters of Sierra Club and other groups submitted nearly 1,000 comments to the EIB, and several volunteers gave oral comments at the July 23 meeting where the board heard our petition. Unfortunately, the EIB rejected the petition ...
PRC approves strong EV infrastructure plan for SPS
On Sept. 22, New Mexico’s Public Regulation Commission approved Southwestern Public Service Company’s Transportation Electrification Plan — essentially a state-required plan for adding electric-vehicle infrastructure — with some important improvements your actions helped secure. Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy and Sierra Club fought hard to make sure that the plan provides New Mexicans adequate rebates for installing home EV fast chargers and ease of payment at public charging stations.  ...
Greater Chaco Coalition Comments Delivered
On Friday, Oct. 1, members of the Greater Chaco Coalition delivered stacks of comments representing nearly 2-million protests collected since 2016 opposing federal fossil fuel leasing to the Bureau of Land Management’s state headquarters in Santa Fe. Representatives once again shared a timeline of extractive colonialism in New Mexico and once again, urged agency officials to stop sacrificing more New Mexico land for oil and gas ...