NM IPL Provides Public Comment About New Mexico’s Regional Haze Plan

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Sister Joan Brown, OSF and Clara Sims, Assistant Executive Director of NM-IPL, provided public comment on April 29 before the Environmental Improvement Board about New Mexico’s Regional Haze Plan. Sister Joan made the following comment:

 

“Thank you for this hearing. It is important to affirm leadership in caring for our precious and sacred lands that millions of people experience as a source of healing, awe, nourishment and hope in our times. It is also important to call us to even greater responsibility. Many of our parks, especially Carlsbad Caverns is affected by haze pollution emitted by New Mexico’s industrial facilities. 

 

In 2024 Pope Francis in one of many addresses reflected upon the 10th anniversary of the teaching document Laudato Si: On Care of Our Common Home with a disheartened spirit. He lamented that we had not yet learned to act strongly to care for and protect Earth. He said, “There is a need to act with urgency, compassion and determination, since the stakes could not be higher.”

 

While I am concerned about all of our parks, I am speaking most strongly about Carlsbad Caverns because I go there often. At least twice a year NM & El Paso IPL takes a group of people of faith on an Immersion Retreat Experience to Southeast New Mexico and we always begin at this sacred place, what we call a Cathedral of the Earth. However, Carlsbad Caverns currently, ranks number 4th for hazy skies and 5th for unhealthy air out of the 399 parks nationwide. This is not how we should treat our public places for which we have a sacred trust to protect into the far future. Those who visit the Caverns and region are very aware of the haze and are also concerned for the communities of people living there.

 

Natural gas processing plants and oil and gas operations emit the most haze-causing pollution in New Mexico. NMED has released a strong draft for the state implementation plan that highlights 23 facilities for haze emissions reduction analysis and action, including natural gas processing plants and oil and gas compressor stations, but action is only proposed for 13 facilities for installation of pollution controls. Why not all 23?

 

We are grateful for the constant work of NMED and are grateful that among states New Mexico has the strongest proposed plan, but we are also second in the nation in oil and gas production from the Permian and this causes oversized haze and pollution. We support a strong plan and the continued work of NMED including enforceable retirement of any sources currently excluded from an analysis of emissions reduction measures. Several examples that have been brought to my attention are the Cunningham Station Power Plant and the South Carlsbad Compressor Station’s stationary combustion engines. We are also concerned about the health and well-being of communities and invite a thorough assessment of impacts of haze pollution for these communities. 

 

We are grateful for steps that NMED is taking and encourage continued ethical and moral leadership to Care for Our Common Home.”

NM-IPL 2025 Spring Immersion Retreat

NM IPL Spring Immersion Retreat Update

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The New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light Spring Immersion Retreat over this past weekend brought together people of faith from Albuquerque, Carlsbad, Chaparral, El Paso, San Antonio and Laredo to Southeast New Mexico to learn about oil and gas production and concerns for health and the environment. The group met with frontline community members, viewed illegal methane emissions through a flr camera, prayed, shared concerns and committed to ongoing actions to protect air, water, climate and communities. The next pilgrimage will be in the fall.

New Mexico’s 2025 Legislative Session: Climate Legislation Tracker

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With the 2025 New Mexico legislative session concluded, NM IPL reflects on the environmental and climate-related bills it advocated for, acknowledging both progress and unmet hopes. Thanks to collective advocacy and key legislative support, meaningful strides were made. Above all, there is deep gratitude for the dedication of individuals and organizations working together for a just and flourishing future. A full list of prioritized bills and their outcomes follows.

Priority bills that passed

These bills have gone to the Governor for signature, and their final status is indicated below:

SB 21 Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Act Following rollbacks to federal clean water protections in recent years, up to 95% of New Mexico’s streams have lost protection once provided under the Clean Water Act so it’s a huge victory that SB 21 passed! SB 21 ensures federal clean water protections that had existed in New Mexico for decades are continued at the state level. In addition, it provides authority for the state to take over permitting from the federal government for the waters that are still federally protected. American Rivers named all New Mexico rivers atop its list of most endangered rivers in the country, which you can read about here. Signed into law
SB 48 Community Benefit Fund Was somewhat reduced funding-wise, but passed with $210M. These funds are intended for communities that have been disproportionately impacted by climate change, providing resources for workforce development and retraining, renewable energy and infrastructure projects, energy efficiency upgrades, and other projects that reduce carbon pollution and help build a more sustainable economy. Signed into law
SB 83 Innovation in State Government Fund Establishes the Innovation in State Government Fund, a $13.5M fund that will better equip agencies with the resources and expertise needed to lead in sustainable energy innovation, including workforce development and accountability for pollution reduction. Signed into law
SB 156 Low-Income Utility Users This will help provide stability and financial predictability for low-income solar systems owners by safeguarding the financial benefits of net-metering. The Coalition of Sustainable Communities NM, estimates that over 5,000 low income NM households could receive residential leased or owned systems through over the next 4 years. These systems would have 20-25 yr lifetimes, generating $10,000 – $20,000 in bill savings for low-income households. These savings would disappear if utilities imposed rooftop solar rate riders that don’t exempt low-income households (defined as 80% AMI or lower). SB 156 exempts low-income solar cystomers from rate riders, adds a defenition for “low-income customer” to the public utility act, and directs annual verification of low-income customers. Not signed into law
HB 91 Public Utility Structures Our friends at the Southwestern Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) and Prosperity Works, worked hard to pass this bill that gives investor-owned utilities the power to provide New Mexico’s most vulnerable residents with lower electric and gas bills. This bill grants the PRC (Public Regulatory Commission) the authority to review and approve reasonable low-income rate proposal submitted by Investor Owned Utilities. It supports utilities in addressing energy burdens while ensuring that rates meet regulatory standards for fairness and reasonableness. Signed into law
HB 128 New Mexico Solar Access Fund Establishes a grant fund at the New Mexico Finance Authority, which will issue both planning and implementation grants to Tribes, Counties, Municipalities, School Districts, and Land Grants for solar and storage projects to power public buildings like community centers, libraries, schools, and fire stations, and infrastructure like water, wastewater, and street lighting. Planning includes procuring grant writers and technical expertise to plan and fund projects, and implementation includes funding construction, purchase, installation, and equipment of solar energy and storage systems. Public Power New Mexico has more information here. Signed into law
Senate Memorial 14, House Memorial 37 Mount Taylor Cultural and Environmental Integrity & Mount Taylor as Cultural Property These memorials were initiated by Senator Angel Charley which passed in both the House and Senate. These memorials uplift the sacredness of Mount Taylor to Pueblos of Acoma, Laguna, and Zuni, the Hopi Tribe and Navajo Nation and call for protections of the mountain’s ecological intergrity overall and particularly from uranium mining. Among the many things the memorial calls for are the United States Congress to reform the Mining Act of 1872 to “priortize protection of sacred sites and require meaningful tribal consultation.” The new federal administration brings increased risk for uranium mining and development on Mount Taylor, which you can read about here. Signed into law

Priority bills that did not pass

It often takes many sessions to pass a bill, so take heart that many of bills that did not pass will come back in the future and hopefully come back stronger with greater awareness among legislators and advocates. In particular, we hope that comprehensive climate legislation (SB 4), common sense set-backs of oil and gas operations from schools (HB 35), and funding for public health preparedness and resilience to climate change and extreme weather (HB 109 and 108) will get farther along in the coming years.

SB 4 Clear Horizons Act SB 4 would have codified into law climate pollution reductions goals in alignment with the Paris Climate Accords, but sadly it was tabled in the Senate Finance Committee. In the context of oil and gas industry influence in our state politics, this is not surprising but it is still extremrely dissapointing. Despite this, the two others bills that SB 4 was designed to work in tandem with did pass and now await the Governor’s signature. Those are the Community Benefit Fund (SB 48) and Innovation in State Government Fund (SB 83).
HB 35 Children’s Health Protection Zones Would have strengthened environmental protections by establishing “children’s health protection zones,” defined as areas extending 5,280 feet from school property lines, where oil and gas operations would be restricted.
HB 108 Statewide Public Health and Climate Program Would have established a new section within the Public Health Act to create a Statewide Public Health and Climate Program to enhance interagency collaboration focused on health equity and to mitigate the health impacts of extreme weather and climate change in New Mexico.
HB 109 Extreme Weather Resilience Fund Would have established the “Extreme Weather Resilience Fund” within the state treasury, aimed at addressing public health emergencies related to extreme weather and climate impacts.
HB 222 Fracturing Fluid and Disclosure Would have enhanced environmental protections related to hydraulic fracturing and downhole operations in New Mexico by instituting strict disclosure requirements for chemicals used in these processes. It would have prohibited the use of hydraulic fracturing fluids, drilling fluids, and proppants that contain per- or polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are known for their harmful environmental effects.
HB 310 Responsible Electric Car and Battery End of Life Would have established a framework for managing electric vehicle batteries at the end of their life cycle and prohibited the disposal of propulsion batteries in landfills. It would have mandated that batteries be managed with a focus on reuse, repair, and remanufacturing before recycling.
HB 333 Clean Up of Contaminated Sites Would have appropriated $50M for the purpose of assessing and cleaning up abandoned and neglected contaminated sites throughout the state, specifically including abandoned uranium mining sites.
HB 423 Water Security Planning Act Funds Would have appropriated a total of $62 million from the general fund to the Office of the State Engineer for various water-related initiatives over the fiscal years 2026 through 2028.
HJR 3, SJR 4 Green Amendment Would have amended the New Mexico Constitution by adding a new section to Article 2 that establishes environmental rights for the state’s residents. This amendment would guarantee the right to clean and healthy air, water, soil, and environments, as well as the preservation of native flora, fauna, ecosystems, and a safe climate.

Bills we did not want to pass

SB 139 Zero Emission Vehicle Rule Would have prohibited government entities from adopting rules that: (1) limit the delivery, use, lease, sale, or purchase of vehicles based on their energy source; (2) restrict the sale of new vehicles with internal combustion engines; or (3) establish quotas or percentages of vehicles that must be purchased based on their energy source. Tabled
HB 137 Strategic Water Supply We lament the signing into law of the Strategic Water Supply which allocates $75M toward treatment of brackish water. Some things were removed from the bill that we advocated for and celebrate, such as excluding treatment of “produced water” (toxic waste water from oil and gas production). Still, we feel this bill represents a grave misapplication of our public funds, and especially when no remotely comparable funding was granted for the management of our already existing fresh-water resources. NM Water Advocates has a greater speaker series you can access here. Signed into law
HB 270 Zero Emission Vehicle Prohibition Would have prevented any regulations that would restrict the delivery, use, lease, sale, or purchase of vehicles based on their energy source, including internal combustion engine vehicles. Tabled
HB 311 Reclaimed Water Act Would have allowed the creation of reclaimed water authorities (RWA). RWAs would act as nonprofit organizations responsible for working with a community that has requested an RWA to promote, facilitate, and organize the use of reclaimed water. Tabled