Three Important Climate Bills in the New Mexico Legislature

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By Rev. Clara Sims, Assistant Executive Director, IPL New Mexico & El Paso

From the blazing heat of our own New Mexico summer to the winter wildfires burning in California, the earth is speaking with resounding clarity of our need to stop burning fossil fuels.

In that spirit, here are the three major climate bills of this session….

Senator Pro Tem, Mimi Stewart, has introduced three ambitious climate bills that work in tandem to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, equip communities for fossil-fuel free economic innovation and development, and fund state agencies so they can better manage their roles of support and enforcement.

Clear Horizons (SB 4)

Seeks to codify into law the Governor’s 2019 executive order of climate emission reductions targets (an order alligned with the Paris Climate Accords).

This would mean bringing business, transportation and the energy sector into alignment with those targets. The Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) would have responsibility for rule-making and oversight.

Community Benefits Fund (SB 48)

This is a pot of money ($340 million) designated to help communities transition economically to cleaner sources of energy and industry, including helping fund projects that do things like create bike and pedestrian lanes, implement grid modernization, fund electric school buses, and help foster workforce development.  Below is a break down of funding:

  • $40M to EDD (Economic Development Department)
  • $20M to Community Energy Efficiency Development (CEED) Block Grant Fund
  • $100M to Grid Modernization grant fund
  • $50M to Transportation Project fund
  • $ 5M to State Supplemental Land and Water Conservation fund (outdoor recreation act)
  • $40M to EMNRD (Energy, Minerals, Natural Resources Department)
  • $25M to Workforce Solutions
  • $60M to the Public Schools Facilities Authority

Innovation in State Government Fund (SB 83)

The goal is to better equip our state government and agencies to handle big projects and work with new, upgraded technology. Part of the goal is to help agencies think “outside the box” of their current budgets about ways to help support emissions reductions.

For more information about all three of these bills, you can visit a wesbite created by various climate and frontline community partners. The website can be found HERE.

What can you do to support this legislation?

  1. Get in contact with your local congressional represenatives
  2. Write an LTE about the moral imperative for climate legislation
  3. Show up for public comment at key hearings

To contact your local congressional represenative, you can find their information at “find my legislator.”

If you want to write a Letter to the Editor (LTE) or ammend one that is drafted for you, please be in touch with Clara Sims (clara@nm-ipl.org).

To be kept in the loop about key hearings for public comment, sign up to be on our advocacy list. To be added, please contact our advocacy chair Ruth Striegel (ruthstriegel@gmail.com) and/or our assistant director Clara Sims (clara@nm-ipl.org).

Clear Horizons (SB 4) is being heard in the Senate Conservation Committee tomorrow morning, Tuesday the 28th at 9:00 am. There were only a very limited number of slots for public speakers this time around, but we will need all the community support possible going forward to push this over the finish line in other committies, so please stay tuned. If you want to listen in to the hearing, here is the zoom link. Prayers for a good outcome at tomorrow’s hearing matter and are most welcome!

 

Register for Spring Immersion Retreat Experience in SE New Mexico

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The Spring Immersion Retreat Experience in Southeast New Mexico is slated for March 27-29.  This is an opportunity to travel in individually or in carpools to Carlsbad and other communities in the Permian Basin to understand the scope of oil and gas extraction, impacts on communities, and to reflect and engage.

Donation of $100 requested to assist with expenses, but no one turned away.  Housing, food, travel for Permian tour, and other expenses covered.  Reflection and prayer are integrated into the experience.

Contact Sr. Joan at joan@nm-ipl.org to sign up or for information and all the details.

Michigan IPL Helps 15 Food Providers in Detroit Become ‘Climate Resilient Hubs’

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The Michigan chapter of Interfaith Power & Light is partnering on a $20 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Community Change Grant, awarded to EcoWorks to help 15 food pantries and soup kitchens across the city of Detroit become “climate resilience hubs.” Solar Faithful is another collaborator on this historic project.
“When a community-serving organization becomes a climate resilience hub, it means their building is better prepared to operate during the harsh the conditions of our destabilized climate: storms, flooding, extreme temperatures, and power outages,” said Leah Wiste, executive director of  Michigan IPL. “It can generate and store its own power (often using solar panels, battery backup and generators) so that it can offer continuous services to the community when the power grid is down. It might be a refuge for community members seeking warmth or cooling, or a place where people can charge their cell phones or operate medical devices when they don’t have power at home.”
Added Wiste: “We are so proud that we get to help bring federal resources to the grassroots level, including to some of our most vulnerable neighbors: people experiencing food insecurity. We look forward to sharing more about these projects and stories as they unfold over the next 3 years.”
Here articles in  The Detroit News and WXYZ